The Hindu : International : A tired celebrity

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 22, 2004

International

International

A tired celebrity

CANBERRA, JUNE 21. A rare white whale making its way up Australia's east coast is showing signs that it is growing tired of its celebrity status.

The adolescent humpback male named Migaloo — an Aboriginal term for white man — is making its annual migration north from Antarctica to the Whitsunday Islands off the tropical coast of Queensland where the whales breed in August. Since it was first spotted off Australia's eastern-most point, Cape Byron, in 1991, Migaloo's journeys have attracted a growing flotilla of fans.

But Migaloo has shown signs of feeling harassed by the public attention, particularly since it collided with a trimaran — a three hulled boat — near the town of Townsville in August last year, said David Lloyd from Southern Cross University's Whale Research Centre. While Migaloo was not as aggressive as the fictional white sperm whale in the 1851 classic American novel Moby Dick, Mr. Lloyd warned whale-watchers to keep their distance. ``He's not showing the boat-crushing aggression of Captain Ahab's nemesis, but we've seen signs of frustration at all the attention,'' Mr. Lloyd said. ``He's charged a few boats that are following him, or that got in his way or generally harassed him, and being hit by the trimaran really hasn't helped his disposition toward humans.''

``Migaloo's an adolescent male and like a human, he gets stroppy [cranky] at times and can forget his own strength,'' Mr. Lloyd said. He estimates Migaloo is about 14 years old, about 14 metres long and weighs 30 tonnes.

The State Government of New South Wales, along whose entire coast Migaloo swims before reaching Queensland waters, announced that it would change its laws specifically to protect the celebrity whale by creating an exclusion zone of 500 m for boats and jet skis and 600 m for aircraft. For other whales, the exclusion zone will remain 100 m for boats and 300 m for aircraft.

Migaloo is expected to reach the tourist town of Byron Bay, near Cape Byron, 400 km north of Sydney, on Tuesday, Mr. Lloyd said. The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is listed as a vulnerable species under New South Wales law. Researchers have yet to determine whether Migaloo has the pink eyes that would indicate that it is a true albino whale.

Almost 1,000 whales were spotted last year off the New South Wales coast as part of a state government whale migration study. They included 923 humpbacks, seven minkes, four southern right whales and nine pygmy killer whales, while about 500 dolphins were also seen.

— AP

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