Came here to say- "How about helping a guy out & picking off barnacles, instead of throwing water on me.? I live in the sh*t, don't need anymore....blub"
Wouldn’t that have made her feel sad? She clearly came up wanting to interact, and would have immediately left if it wasn’t enjoyable. For such brilliantly intelligent animals like this there needs to be a case by case basis to make this call
It doesn’t matter if the gray whale ‘wants’ to be petted or have interaction. These whales get struck by boats all the time and in return they could easily injure other people if they get spooked. It’s better for their safety ours to keep away from boats and people as much as possible. They are already endangered as is.
I live in an area with tons of elk. One of them became habituated to the point she became a huge problem because she wanted cookies and treats. She now lives at the zoo, but come hunting season she would be a very very easy target. Gray whales are pretty endangered, even one lost to injuries from a boat collision is devastating for their population. It’s okay to look, but don’t touch.
I know this was posted like a month ago but I ust wanted to point out that these whales arent endangered, this individual is from the eastern population which is classified as least concern and numbers around 20,000 so a single individual lost isnt a big blow to their population and there is even some legal hunting done by native americans on this population.
That said its obviously sad if they die by boatstrikes
It doesn’t matter. The tragedy is that this whale and others are comfortable around boats and people in general, which means they are more likely to get struck.
Hmmm. Isn't there some kind of political advantage to having these people touch the giant sea animal? You may turn some of those people, hopefully influential, into activists. It's a life changing experience. Maybe one of those guys is a right winger who works for an oil company and just had his entire life changed.
I am a firm believer that ecotourism helps protect animals. I know that the "pure" solution is to say that all humans should stay away and let the animals have a pristine world. But the reality is that there are people living and fishing these lagoons. Part of the reason the lagoons are protected now by Mexico is because the ecotourism helps support the region and the local fisherman act as captains and guides. We want local people to have a vested interest in keeping the whales coming back. If there was no ecotourism, then lagoons get taken over by other commercial interests (such as salt extraction).
A better protection for them is to not be exploited by for profit tourism which puts them and their calves in danger. Grey whales migrate thousands of miles and take this behavior with them and teach it to their young. People should learn about them from a safe distance.
People need to be empathetic towards the larger picture as a whole and what is better for wild animals in general. It’s ridiculous that people are so selfish that they want ‘an experience of a life time’ to touch a grey whale, when it puts them in danger. There are thousands of selfish people like this who want a special moment but the whales will pay the price every time for it.
Thank you for the PSA to never book with this company. Their inability to keep people from touching the whales is inexcusable. Even harmless-seeming physical encounters like the one depicted here are detrimental to wildlife and it’s astonishing that people still don’t know that.
I wouldn’t advocate touching wildlife but imma be real, if I was in that boat and that whale got close to us like that I am 100% making skin to skin contact with it.
Same! I can be my environmentalist self til I’m blue in the face but put me next to a whale and I’ll just melt. Throw me in without a paddle for all I care, raison d’être unlocked 🥺
This is probably San Ignacio lagoon. Gray whales come there every year and there are agencies that take tourists out on boat trips to interact with them. Definitely seems like an amazing experience, and it’s incredible that these whales are so interested in seeking out humans, but I think we all know this is a bad idea. You should not go out in a boat and attempt to approach and interact with wild animals. If these are pacific gray whales, they are an endangered species, and, considering the fact that some counties still allow whaling, we should not be conditioning them to APPROACH BOATS. Sometimes, if you’re a nature lover, the correct thing to do is leave nature alone.
And I don't know how close you've gotten to a whale, but that spout STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN. I grew up in the ocean, we tend to keep our distance from whales for their safety, but you can't always control the situation. Once while fishing a grey popped up 10ft from our boat (we saw her from a distance but she disappeared for a while then she was RIGHT there!) it was such a cool experience but I was shocked by the smell 😂 I bet this guy couldn't wait to get a shower lmao
The smell of a whale's blow (and I have smelled many) depends on what (and if) they have been eating. In these lagoons, the gray whales aren't feeding. They will feed in the summer months in Alaska, and then spend up to 6 months not eating. So the smell wasn't bad at all (even getting a face blast!). As ModestMeeshka stated above, though, if you are around them when they are feeding their breath stinks A LOT.
ContractKey3957@reddit
That boat is full of sea life Karen's
stargarnet79@reddit
Do they want people to pick off barnacles?
Relevant_Syllabub895@reddit
They dont, its a misconception and people can hurt them way more than help, they form sort of a mutual relationship with them
KatBoySlim@reddit
they tell you not to do that since you can rip out a chunk of their skin, which can then get infected.
stargarnet79@reddit
Ok thank you for the added info!!!🙏
guyincognito60@reddit
They molt so their skin is actually itchy. It feel good when people scratch them. Also they’re highly intelligent so they’re curious.
ishey@reddit
Came here to say- "How about helping a guy out & picking off barnacles, instead of throwing water on me.? I live in the sh*t, don't need anymore....blub"
mden1974@reddit
Same question. They itch maybe.
Res_Ipsa_Dawg@reddit
I had the exact same thought.
ObsidianAerrow@reddit
Don’t pet wild animals no matter how friendly.
KnotiaPickle@reddit
Wouldn’t that have made her feel sad? She clearly came up wanting to interact, and would have immediately left if it wasn’t enjoyable. For such brilliantly intelligent animals like this there needs to be a case by case basis to make this call
ObsidianAerrow@reddit
It doesn’t matter if the gray whale ‘wants’ to be petted or have interaction. These whales get struck by boats all the time and in return they could easily injure other people if they get spooked. It’s better for their safety ours to keep away from boats and people as much as possible. They are already endangered as is.
KnotiaPickle@reddit
This is a canoe
BumblebeeFormal2115@reddit
I live in an area with tons of elk. One of them became habituated to the point she became a huge problem because she wanted cookies and treats. She now lives at the zoo, but come hunting season she would be a very very easy target. Gray whales are pretty endangered, even one lost to injuries from a boat collision is devastating for their population. It’s okay to look, but don’t touch.
MiniHamster5@reddit
I know this was posted like a month ago but I ust wanted to point out that these whales arent endangered, this individual is from the eastern population which is classified as least concern and numbers around 20,000 so a single individual lost isnt a big blow to their population and there is even some legal hunting done by native americans on this population.
That said its obviously sad if they die by boatstrikes
ObsidianAerrow@reddit
It doesn’t matter. The tragedy is that this whale and others are comfortable around boats and people in general, which means they are more likely to get struck.
Sloppyjoey20@reddit
Go shout about it in the streets then
Occult_Asteroid2@reddit
Hmmm. Isn't there some kind of political advantage to having these people touch the giant sea animal? You may turn some of those people, hopefully influential, into activists. It's a life changing experience. Maybe one of those guys is a right winger who works for an oil company and just had his entire life changed.
SunnyDaddyCool@reddit
This lagoon is protected so ecotourism is a great way to support their protection.
Diver_Dave@reddit (OP)
I am a firm believer that ecotourism helps protect animals. I know that the "pure" solution is to say that all humans should stay away and let the animals have a pristine world. But the reality is that there are people living and fishing these lagoons. Part of the reason the lagoons are protected now by Mexico is because the ecotourism helps support the region and the local fisherman act as captains and guides. We want local people to have a vested interest in keeping the whales coming back. If there was no ecotourism, then lagoons get taken over by other commercial interests (such as salt extraction).
ObsidianAerrow@reddit
A better protection for them is to not be exploited by for profit tourism which puts them and their calves in danger. Grey whales migrate thousands of miles and take this behavior with them and teach it to their young. People should learn about them from a safe distance.
ihaveabaguetteknife@reddit
Doing the lord’s work here. People got to stop humanizing animals. Touching them can also be a problem concerning infections no?
ObsidianAerrow@reddit
People need to be empathetic towards the larger picture as a whole and what is better for wild animals in general. It’s ridiculous that people are so selfish that they want ‘an experience of a life time’ to touch a grey whale, when it puts them in danger. There are thousands of selfish people like this who want a special moment but the whales will pay the price every time for it.
littlelegsbabyman@reddit
Unless it's the bison or the bears at Yellowstone national park especially the babies the animal moms love that.
vagabond_primate@reddit
Where is this?
Diver_Dave@reddit (OP)
San Ignacio Lagoon in Mexico. I went with https://bajaex.com/
terra_cascadia@reddit
Thank you for the PSA to never book with this company. Their inability to keep people from touching the whales is inexcusable. Even harmless-seeming physical encounters like the one depicted here are detrimental to wildlife and it’s astonishing that people still don’t know that.
trystan_and_zora@reddit
Sorry but all the data and studies show you are completely wrong in every way with gray whale interactions.
vagabond_primate@reddit
Nice! Thank you.
Neat_Wolf3778@reddit
I wouldn’t advocate touching wildlife but imma be real, if I was in that boat and that whale got close to us like that I am 100% making skin to skin contact with it.
anotherdayanotherham@reddit
Environmentalists’ version of ‘there are two wolves inside you’ lol
okogamashii@reddit
Same! I can be my environmentalist self til I’m blue in the face but put me next to a whale and I’ll just melt. Throw me in without a paddle for all I care, raison d’être unlocked 🥺
dragonrite@reddit
Only animal i can think think of that can snot me and id be happy about it
LarcMipska@reddit
"Hello, are you aware that extractive capitalism is drastically shortening the period of habitability on this planet for both of us?"
Automatic_Ad7107@reddit
I love the good whale. Epic vid!
NewGuy10002@reddit
Freakin amazing. Mammal to mammal greetings
C0nstantineXI@reddit
This is probably San Ignacio lagoon. Gray whales come there every year and there are agencies that take tourists out on boat trips to interact with them. Definitely seems like an amazing experience, and it’s incredible that these whales are so interested in seeking out humans, but I think we all know this is a bad idea. You should not go out in a boat and attempt to approach and interact with wild animals. If these are pacific gray whales, they are an endangered species, and, considering the fact that some counties still allow whaling, we should not be conditioning them to APPROACH BOATS. Sometimes, if you’re a nature lover, the correct thing to do is leave nature alone.
notmeitzyou@reddit
Couldn't help notice that man just got blasted in the face, lol
ModestMeeshka@reddit
And I don't know how close you've gotten to a whale, but that spout STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN. I grew up in the ocean, we tend to keep our distance from whales for their safety, but you can't always control the situation. Once while fishing a grey popped up 10ft from our boat (we saw her from a distance but she disappeared for a while then she was RIGHT there!) it was such a cool experience but I was shocked by the smell 😂 I bet this guy couldn't wait to get a shower lmao
notmeitzyou@reddit
I expected to make a funny and ended up learning something lol this is great!
Empty_Bathroom_4146@reddit
What was the smell? Was it fishy or milky or what? I need to know
ModestMeeshka@reddit
Have you ever smelled low tide? It was like a direct blast of that! Salty rotten fish and seaweed 😅
Diver_Dave@reddit (OP)
The smell of a whale's blow (and I have smelled many) depends on what (and if) they have been eating. In these lagoons, the gray whales aren't feeding. They will feed in the summer months in Alaska, and then spend up to 6 months not eating. So the smell wasn't bad at all (even getting a face blast!). As ModestMeeshka stated above, though, if you are around them when they are feeding their breath stinks A LOT.
atari_Pro@reddit
What that blow hole smell like
Slight_Succotash9495@reddit
I'd be in absolute heaven!
Booklovinmom55@reddit
People are so stupid. You don't touch wildlife.
Itsallgood1188@reddit
I don’t care what you say. I would 1000% definitely touch it.
chloetahahn@reddit
Look, DON'T touch. Smh. 🙄
Vulgar_the_clown@reddit
Don't forget your ice scoop!
Foreign-Benefit7197@reddit
Sooo...damn COOL 😎 👌 👍
One_Arm4148@reddit
I want 🤗🥹
Any-Employer-826@reddit
My Bathtub !