An encounter with Nanda & Bala soundcloud/iwhales A film crew from National Geographic in Australia came aboard the 2007 expedition in Hervey Bay and captured this remarkable encounter with Nanda & Bala. We were reminded of the importance of the media and the role they play, often unwittingly, in the conservation of whales and dolphins. In 1999 a film crew from Japan spent two weeks aboard the Whale Expedition and filmed two young Japanese students assisting with the humpback whale research and their reactions to encounters like this one with Nanda & Bala. Twenty million Japanese households watched their experiences and encounters. A recent documentary on the migratory humpback whales ‘Ocean Voyagers’ narrated by Meryl Streep, captures and portrays the incredible relationship between a newly born humpback calf and its mother. The academy award-winning documentary ‘The Cove’ has highlighted to the world the plight of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. The new media, through the Internet, has revolutionised the capability of conservation organizations, small and large, to reach a world-wide audience. Three million people over the last two years on YouTube have viewed the humpback whale films being produced by The Oceania Project. The media plays a vital role in whale and dolphin conservation. Established in 1988, the Oceania Project is an independent, non-profit research organisation dedicated to the conservation and protection of Whales, Dolphins and the oceans. The first phase of a long-term study of the East Australian Humpback Whales has been the major work of the Oceania Project. The East Australian Humpback Whales travel in an unending cycle of migration between their birthplace in the inter-reef lagoon of the Great Barrier Reef and their Antarctic feeding areas. Their world is comprised of vast stretches of ocean where songs emitted by the Humpback Whales can be heard over great distances. Each year the whales sing a new song. Haunting melodies of radiant joy which fill the ocean along the East Coast of Australia. When ecosystems across the planet are collapsing and species are becoming extinct at an accelerating rate, the East Australian Humpback Whales are making a remarkable recovery. They have become Australias national treasure and a symbol of hope for our imperilled environment. We as the new generation of caretakers of the planet Earth have learnt from the mistakes of our elders and are helping nurture the Rebirth of a Species.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 04:13:30 +0000