use 1 November 2007
Unusual Southern right whale sighting in Milford Sound
Visitors in Milford Sound had an extraordinary treat this week when a rare Southern right whale surfaced unexpectedly
near their vessel.
Real Journeys nature guide Richard Heyward said the whale was first sighted during a morning Nature Cruise on Monday.
"We saw it doing headstands just outside the entrance to Milford Sound. I´m not sure what it was doing, maybe scraping
its callosities - the barnacles they have on their heads."
Mr Heyward said the whale was about 100 metres from the shore. "There was lots of tail action above the surface and we
watched it flapping its tail around for about 10 minutes."
During the afternoon cruise, the whale reappeared alongside the Real Journeys vessel near Copper Point. "It surfaced
between us and the rock wall quite unexpectedly and we had it alongside for about five minutes. The water is brilliantly
clear, so the passengers had a really good look."
Another Southern right whale was sighted in Milford Sound in late August, Mr Heyward said. "Maybe it will become more
commonplace as numbers increase?"
Southern right whales (tohora) are one of the world´s rarest mammals. The Department of Conservation considers Southland
to be a "hot spot" for Southern right whales and they are usually spotted between June and October. Most whales pass
through Foveaux Strait on their migration north to the east coast, but a few head up the West Coast.
Southern right whales are a native migrant to New Zealand, but DOC believes it is possible that the whales seen around
New Zealand come from a separate population from those found in sub-antarctic waters, making them extremely rare.
Why are they known as Southern right whales? This species swims slowly, so whalers could easily catch them in their row
boats. They also floated when killed and produced plenty of oil.
ENDS