A mother and her calf.
Conservation received a huge bonus today as it was revealed that another mammal had become fond of migrating to Australia! The endangered Southern Right whale has recently been spotted breeding off the coast of Southern Australia, which is great news for those scientists who have worked tirelessly to bring this rare and beautiful mammal back to Australian shores.
The Southern Right whale used to be a common sight in the waters close to Tasmania, until excessive hunting in the 1800s nearly wiped out the population. Since then the whales have almost disappeared from Australian waters.ÂÂ
After the whaling ban in 1937, the Southern Right was spotted once again in Australian and New Zealand waters and scientists suspected that they may have started breeding there again, but there has been no evidence of this, until now.
Two weeks ago a mother and her newborn calf were spotted just off Tasmania’s coast at Oyster Bay. Because the calf was less than two days old, scientists say that it would have been born in the area rather than having swum there with its mother.
On Wednesday there was another report that a Southern Right whale had given birth at Cape Barren Island, North of Tasmania, but this report could not be verified. Therefore when photographs emerged of the female and her calf off Oyster Bay, scientists were delighted and after careful studying, were able to confirm that there were indeed, Southern Right whales.
Marine Biologist David Pemberton said that the sighting was critical for the recovery of the species, “After the thylacine (the extinct Tasmanian tiger), they are the second rarest mammal in Tasmania,� Mr Pemberton said.
It’s a fantastic boost for scientists who have been longing for evidence of the Southern Right breeding in Tasmanian waters once more. It is now hoped that numbers of this rare whale will increase as scientists focus their energies on protecting their breeding grounds.
The Southern Right whales migrate to Australia from Antartica during the winter to mate and breed before returning South in the Spring where they feed on krill.ÂÂ
At least that’s one mammal who doesn’t need a visa to migrate to Australia! Although to be fair, it probably would be top of the critical skills list.
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