IN SUMMER 2018, HUMANKIND experienced an unusual connection with another species. Tahlequah, an orca, was seen carrying her dead calf for 1,600km around the Salish Sea. Apparently grieving her youngster, she sacrificed feeding and compromised her own health.
Headlines filled every major news outlet and social media carried outpourings of support for Tahlequah. Orcas, particularly the Southern Resident population - the well-studied group in the eastern North Pacific to which Tahlequah belongs - were in the spotlight, highlighting their precarious survival. Having experienced two decades of recovery following the 1974 ban on capturing orcas for marine parks, with numbers increasing from 71 to 98, the population has since shrunk to 74, a result of declining prey, pollution, and disturbance from ocean traffic.
Here was an apex predator with an apparent sensitive side, struggling to flourish in what, on the surface, appears to be pristine wilderness. So, in August 2018, I went to see these iconic creatures for myself.
VANCOUVER ISLAND, NORTHwest Canada, is a lozenge of land that shelters the mainland from the whims of the Pacific Ocean. Nestled V in its embrace is a scattering of islands, some no larger than a sea lion's sun-lounger, that make up the Broughton Archipelago. Hanson Island is one of these, positioned strategically between the aptly named Blackfish Sound and Johnston Strait - prime orca habitat. Here, under a canopy of firs, a simple camp is my home for the next few days. I am surrounded by mountains, forest, and air so fresh it almost stings.
この記事は BBC Wildlife の July 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は BBC Wildlife の July 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Jump Around - Bagheera Kiplingi - The acrobatic spider with a predilection for veggie food
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Can Your Really Offset Emissions? - Planning an overseas wildlife-watching trip entails facing some inconvenient truths
Imagine (or maybe you don't need to) that you hanker after the safari trip of a lifetime in sub-Saharan Africa. A 17-day tour beginning at the iconic Victoria Falls, passing through Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, taking in some of the continent’s most wildlife-rich national parks, and ending on the lush island of Zanzibar.
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Settle in this autumn for a new natural-history extravaganza on BBC One and iPlayer: the longawaited Asia, presented by Sir David Attenborough.
Loss of Antarctic sea ice could impact seabird food supply
Albatrosses and petrels may be forced to fly further to feed
Tarsiers in trouble
Urgent action is needed to ensure survival of the Yoda-like primate
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VISIONS OF NATURE
The winners of the Wildlife Artist of the Year competition 2024, from David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
