A rare ghostly whale calf has been seen in Tonga. Experts say the white humpback, known as Siale, is one of two born around the South Pacific Ocean island country in 2024.
After hearing rumours of a white calf that had been born in Vava’u, Tonga, tourism operators were “immediately concerned,” says Tristin Sheen from Whale Discoveries. “Vava’u is a busy tourist hub for whale swimming” and they didn't want the young calf to be disturbed. “Then we heard the white calf was in Ha’apai,” she says.
It seemed strange that there were reports of the calf in both Vava’u and Ha’apai. They soon discovered why. “I started probing for photographic evidence wondering if there could be two calves. As it turned out the photos showed different mothers with the calves,” she says. “We had two white calves in Tonga.”
The first calf was called Mãhina. They called the second Siale.
The chance of a white whale being born is exceptionally rare. “My husband and I have been on the sea for 28 years,” says Sheen. “In all the thousands of whales we have never witness an all-white whale.”
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Sharing the water with this rare individual was “totally surreal,” she says. “For some reason, I thought she would behave differently to other calves,” because she looked so different with her snow-white skin. But the young whale “acted like any other happy calf,” she adds.
It was a breathtaking sight, Sheen says: “She is perfect, brilliant, pure like fine porcelain, flawless.”
Conservation experts and tourism operators are worried about the risk of too many travellers trying to see the calf. “We all have concerns,” says Sheen. “All of us operators banded together to make exceptional rules for her to ensure she wasn’t harassed.”
Humpback whales visit Tonga during breeding season as part of their migration. This is an important time for mothers and their young calves and too many boats can stress them out.
“Tonga is a great place to encounter whales,” says Sheen, but she stressed the importance of strict regulation around encounters, including limiting the number of daily interactions so these gentle giants have time to rest and go about their normal business without disturbance. “All whales deserve protection,” she says.
Image and video credit: David and Tristin Sheen, Whale Discoveries
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