Timantha and her calf Elmo are two of thousands of individual eastern Australian humpbacks tracked over the decades. Photo Credit: Trish Franklin/The Oceania Project
Animals AustraliaOnce Near Extinct, Whales Make Historic Comeback
Once hunted to the brink, humpback whales have now made one of nature’s most extraordinary recoveries. Their numbers in Australia have surged past pre-whaling levels for the first time in more than a century.
“The recovery of the group is a near miracle,” said marine scientist Dr. Wally Franklin, co-founder of The Oceania Project, who has studied these whales for over 30 years. “By the early 1960s, only about 150 individuals survived out of a population once estimated at 30,000.”
Today, more than 50,000 eastern humpbacks migrate along Australia’s coast — possibly as many as 60,000 — thanks to decades of protection, citizen science tracking, and the whales’ adaptability. Researchers say their success demonstrates that conservation, patience, and persistence can indeed bring a species back from the brink of extinction.
