Environment – Space invaders

In October, I attended the World Whale Conference in tropical Hervey Bay in Queensland, Australia. The conference was organised by the World Cetacean Alliance, which has the noble vision for “a world where cetaceans (whales and dolphins) are only found in the wild, respected and fully protected”. A life in captivity is no life for any animal, and the keeping and display of dolphins in small concrete tanks seems incredibly cruel, while many of their counterparts live freely off nearby coasts.

Australia’s east coast is a special place to watch whales in the wild, with its vast golden sandy beaches. This year, an estimated 35,000 humpbacks were migrating within about seven kilometres of the coast on their way to Antarctica. The whales are so visible from land that you can get a great bird’s eye view of whale antics, including breaching (leaping out of the water), lobtailing (beating the surface of the water with their tail fins), pec slapping (slamming a pectoral fin on the water surface) and intimate moments between mothers and calves.

Here in New Zealand, it’s also remarkable how many whales and dolphins can be seen from shore – with the advantage that for a full wildlife experience one only needs to look. You don’t have to contend with expensive tour fares, seasickness, or the guilt of impacts on cetaceans.

However, there’s a strong drive within the human psyche to get as close to wildlife as possible – to the point of getting in the water and touching whales and dolphins, including calves, even when the cetaceans are endangered and we know it can’t be good for them. Scientists call this akrasia – people acting against their rational better judgement, when the heart rules the head.

The World Whale Conference heard about the growth in whale swim tourism in many parts of the world. Many people swim with whales and dolphins seeking the “meeting of minds” and transformative (for us) experience that comes with it. Indeed, westerners are driving significant growth in whale and dolphin swimming and watching. Vava’u in Tonga is a favourite for New Zealanders, and this winter my Facebook newsfeed has revealed many images from friends and family visiting Alaska for its wilderness and whales.

The World Whale Conference heard that social media, which highlights only the very best moments – and not the seasickness, the travel and the expense – can create false expectations and increase pressures on cetaceans and other wildlife as people strive for the perfect shot of the perfect experience. We also heard that whales commodified for tourism, especially with calves, often avoid swimmers, and spend less time resting, socialising and caring for their young, as mothers dive deeper to escape human pressures.

In the Bay of Islands, dolphin swimming tours have been prohibited because of the impact on a declining dolphin population. I’m sure no cetaceans have on their bucket list to swim with a westerner, but we give them no choice. The best wildlife tourism occurs when the animals don’t even know we’re there.

Christine Rose
christine.rose25@gmail.com