It would appearcthat it's not only
humans that like to do a bit of sightseeing!
Sperm whales like to see the world
as well!
The Easter weekend bought a very
unusual visitor to Oban, a harbour town on the west coast of
Scotland known as the "Gateway to the
Isles". A young sperm whale arrived in the bay on Easter Sunday
and has spent 9 days swimming around the harbour.
Crowds of people have been
gathering hoping to catch a glimpse of the giant mammal (around 12m
in length) as it surfaces and blows before swimming around the
harbour again.
Local wildlife experts have been
keeping a close eye on the whale and have managed to capture some
wonderful pictures. Chris Jackson, captain of whale-watching boat
the Highland Tiger has kindly
allowed us to use his photos here.
Cause for
concern?
Although the opportunity to see a
sperm whale up close is fantastic, scientists and whale experts
were beginning to get concerned about the well-being of the
whale.
As the days ticked by the team
became more worried that the whale might end up stranded, a
situation that could lead to another tragedy like in September 2012
when 16
pilot whales died after getting stuck on a beach near Fife in
Scotland.
Good news!
Thankfully the latest news from
Oban is that the sperm whale has left the harbour and made it's way
into deeper waters. It's departure was quite eventful, however, as
it had an uncomfortably close encounter with a boat on it's way
out.
It seems that the young whale scraped its head on the bow of a
barge moored in the harbour, leaving a wound on its head. However,
although the graze is quite large it isn't deep. Sperm whales often
have scars and they heal well, so there is no real danger.
Planet Science will do our best to
keep up-to-date with the travels of Oban's largest sightseer -
check back soon for more news. In the meantime you can visit the Sea Watch
Foundation's website for the latest reports on whales and
more...
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