 From
July to December whales can be seen at the shores of South Africa.
Holiday makers who have been in the Kruger National Park and
are visiting the Western Cape, will be able to see all the 'BIG
SIX'. That means besides the big 5 mammals lion, buffalo, rhino,
leopard and elephant the whale as well. Most common in south
african waters are the Southern Right Whales. The name originated
when these creatures have been hunted extensively. They have
been the 'right' whales for hunting because they have been slow
and did not drown after killing. That made it easy for the whale
hunters.  Today
the Southern Right Whale supplies food for an unique success
story in a twofold sense: for the tourism and the protection
of species. The commercial whale hunting started at the end
of the 18th century. Not only one century later the population
had been reduced so drastically that hunting near the shore
became unprofitable. Whale hunting moved to antarctic waters.
At the beginning of the second world war only 200 - 300 Southern
Right Whales had survived. Only then, when it nearly was too
late, the nations started to think about how to protect the
whales. Today the estimated
number of Southern Right Whales is about 7000, approximately
2000 of them are on the shores of South Africa. The birth
rate is 7 %, that means every 10 years the population doubles
(for comparison: the world population grows by 3%).
From
mid July the whales are coming back from the Antarctic. They
are staying here until beginning of December to calve, breed
and mate in the save and warm waters.
For
a list of the Best Whale Watching Spots - Click
Here |
Accommodation
@ the Stanford House
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