Whales in the News (2012-03-22)

Welcome to the second installment of Whales in the News:

• 50 Years of KATU TV: A whale of a story that became a legend
  KATU, the Portland, Oregon, TV station that originally broadcasted Paul Linnman’s famous news report on the original Exploding Whale, celebrated their 50th anniversary on March 15, 2012. In honor of the event, they showed Linnman’s original report and interviewed him afterwards.
  
  
  
  
• Rare Whale Swims Up West Coast to Russian Home
  Varvara, a rare western Pacific gray whale, is the first to be documented all the way to Baja Mexico, where most California gray whales breed and give birth. Now she appears to be on the move again, expected to head to feeding grounds off Russia’s Sakhalin Island.
• ‘Whale Wars’ spin-off coming in April
  The Sea Shepherds head to the Faroe Islands to take on the slaughter of pilot whales, and Animal Planet cameras are there to capture the action. “Whale Wars: Viking Shores” premieres on Animal Planet on April 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
• Whale barely makes a splash in Rio and Photos, video: Bryde’s whale makes waves in Rio
  A dead Bryde’s whale washed up on a Rio de Janeiro beach. Officials kept the carcass from hitting rocks and later tied it up to be towed to a nearby port for examination. Adult Bryde’s whales weigh between 13 and 25 tonnes. Despite their size, they are vulnerable to ship strikes because they spend most of their time near the surface.
• Whale dies on Teesside beach
  A 44-ft sperm whale was beached and subsequently died in northeast England. The video below is sad, but has some incredible full-body shots of these rarely seen creatures.
  
• Killer whale possibly killed by U.S. military explosion
  A three-year-old female killer whale that washed up off the coast of Washington last month may have been killed by a military explosion.
  
• A whale of a time at the Canadian Museum of Nature!
  A new Ottawa museum exhibit explores the diversity, biology and adaptation of whales to life in the oceans and also on the human impacts on whales such as the threats of fishing nets, foreign debris, predators and boats. The exhibit includes a life-sized replica of the heart of a blue whale, the largest living creature, and a fully articulated sperm whale skeleton.
  
  
  
  
  
• Mother Whale Lifts Calf Up to Get a Look at Humans on Boat
  Just watch the video. ‘Nuff said.
  
  
  
  

Whale Photo of the Week:

A dead Bryde’s whale doesn’t interrupt water sports in Rio de Janeiro