The hallmarks of a cult: there’s a cool moment between a human and a whale and then having to drag your cult beliefs into it
Kissing a whale in Mexico and witnessing firsthand the effects of climate change
In the bays and lagoons of southern Mexico, where gray whales have gathered for thousands of years to give birth and nurture their young, tourists flock for exciting, close-up encounters with the ocean giants.
But there are troublesome signs that the whale population is suffering from lack of food, due to climate change, and a low birth rate.
“They look thinner, you can see their vertebrae and ribs more,” said Pepe Garcia Rodriguez, our friendly, small boat captain who took us out for a day-long whale-watching tour at the end of February in Magdalena Bay, in Mexico.
The gray whales make a remarkable 10,000-to-12,000-mile round trip migration from Alaska to their Mexican nurseries each year, fattening themselves up in the Arctic before starting their journey south.
But “they don’t have enough food in Alaska,” Pepe said. “When that happens, there’s going to be less babies on the next year, more and more whales dead.”
There couldn’t possibly be other reasons, like, over-fishing and actual pollution, right? Whales have survived just fine during previous Holocene warm periods, which were as warm if not warmer. Dragging the climate cult into the mix actually creates an impediment to deal with the real issues.
“I kissed a whale and I liked it,” was my wife’s refrain after she leaned over the side of the small boat to plant a big smooch on one of the cooperative gray whale moms in 2019, the last time we were in San Ignacio.
So, the writers wife had a cool interaction, and he had to fire off what is a long article? Cult.
Read: Woman Kisses Whale On Excursion And It’s Obviously About ‘Climate Change’ »