Threatened by climate change Beluga whales in Canada inspire tourists - and locals

After polar bears, beluga whales could become the new tourist magnet for the town of Churchill. Nevertheless, researchers warn that even white whales are not safe from the effects of climate change.

Up to 4000 white whales, also known as beluga whales, can sometimes be seen in Hudson Bay. Where the Churchill River pours into the bay, these noisy, curious and playful creatures approach boats of all sizes without hesitation. In fact, it's hard to find a place in the area where you won't come across white whales, says whale biologist Valeria Vergara from the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. At least for now.

The town of Churchill in Manitoba, Canada, would benefit if there were still so many white whales there. The community, which is home to many indigenous people, is facing a decline in the polar bear population as a result of climate change and therefore also in tourism. Now white whales are to attract tourists to Churchill. The prerequisite for this, however, is that the marine mammals survive the temperature changes at the edge of the Arctic.

For Erin Greene, the animals have a healing effect. She was attacked by a polar bear in 2013. She doesn't want to talk about the details of the attack, but Mayor Mike Spence reports that the bear even had her in its mouth. A person from Greene's neighborhood hit the predator with a shovel, another person chased it away with a vehicle. Years after the attack, contact with the sociable white whales helped her to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder, says Greene. Today, she goes out on the water with a paddleboard and sings for the whales or with the animals, who make cheerful noises. Greene also rents out paddleboards to tourists to give them the same experience.

Gives people a lot of joy

"I've never seen an animal bring so much joy to people, with the possible exception of puppies," says Greene. "Everyone smiles when they come back from the water.... They all just experience joy. And it's the whales that make that happen."

When Greene sings for the white whales, it's "Yellow Submarine" by the Beatles, among others. But also a song from the film "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" with actor Will Ferrell, "Husavik (My Hometown)", and the verse "Where the whales can live because they are gentle people".

Animal welfareTwo beluga whales brought to Spain from Ukraine

Biologist Vergara believes the song line reflects reality well. "They really do have characteristics that are so similar to human culture," she says. "They form communities and networks. They cooperate and help raise their young. They are incredibly vocal."

Unlike humpback whales, the vocalizations of white whales are not songs with a rhythm and pattern, says Vergara. The calls of the white whales are not reminiscent of singing, but of a "jungle full of birds". The white whale is nicknamed the "canary of the sea".

Research shows that a white whale has a clear call with which it communicates, comparable to a call name, says Vergara. Young animals need a few years to learn the names of their parents and their own. Whales that are related or part of the same group have calls or names that are similar. Kind of like a family name, she says.

Vergara also warns of the consequences of global warming for the white whales. "The disappearance of the ice will affect them," she says. "We don't know how they will react to changes in water temperature, changes in the availability of food, changes in the availability of normal prey."

Danger from killer whales

White whale expert Pierre Richard from the Northern Studies Center in Churchill and marine mammal scientist Kristin Laidre from the University of Washington also warn of the danger posed by killer whales. Orcas, which hunt white whales, are coming to Hudson Bay more and more frequently. A decline in sea ice also means a decline in hiding places for white whales. Nevertheless, Richard said: "It is not at all clear whether white whales in Hudson Bay are suffering from these changes to the ecosystem."

There are said to be up to 200,000 white whales worldwide, but the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which maintains a global list of species threatened with extinction, tends to give the all-clear for white whales. That is why Vergara says she is often asked why she does not focus on animals that are in immediate danger. "I would say that the threat to animal cultures can happen faster than the extinction of an entire species." If white whale subpopulations disappear, their culture will also be lost. "It's like losing a human language or a human culture," says Vergara. "We should be concerned about this."