San Ignacio Lagoon, Mexico
Mexico’s gray whale population has rebounded from near extinction. Gabriel Arturo Zaragoza, who heads the government’s whale census, said he recently counted 800 babies in or near San Ignacio Lagoon, in the Baja Peninsula, where the whales migrate every winter. The 40-foot, 30-ton grays were hunted relentlessly in the early 20th century for their blubber and meat. By 1970, there were fewer than 2,000 left. But as whale hunting fell out of favor and whale watching became a lucrative industry, the number of grays boomed to 18,000 in the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Alaska. “These gentle creatures are back,” Zaragoza told The Washington Post.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Maha Kumbh Mela: world's largest religious festival gets under way in IndiaIn The Spotlight Politics of Hindu nationalism has cast a shadow over event touted as biggest ever gathering of humanity
-
North Carolina Supreme Court risks undermining its legitimacyUnder the radar A contentious legal battle over whether to seat one of its own members threatens not only the future of the court's ideological balance, but its role in the public sphere
-
Sudoku hard: January 14, 2025The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
