Be always careful of what you wish for.
As innate explorers, encounters with wildlife never fail to excite us. From seeing elks graze around a thicket, or watching whales breach through the deep blue yonder.
So we can’t really blame this man when he set out into the waters to find the pale beluga whale. And while scientists use an array of sophisticated methods to attract their subjects, this man did something else entirely.
The kayaker wished to see some of the whales.
Paul English, a journalist, traveled to Manitoba, Canada for a writing trip. Hoping to see the beluga whales, English set out and paddled through Churchill River.
In an article he wrote for National Geographic, English explained that beluga whales gather in the waters off Churchill every summer.
Sighting one isn’t as easy, however.
Fortunately, English has a trick up his sleeves. He may not be entirely good at it, but he readied a cetacean playlist that he personally sang to the denizens of the deep.
It is said that these whales are attracted to high-pitched noises. So English sang in a high-pitched shrill a line from Deacon Blue’s song. Instead of singing “the believers,” he switched it to “the belguas!”
And then there was a bump.
As he was trying his best to stay in, or out, of tune, he felt his kayak tilt to the side a bit. Then, as he looked to the side of his craft to investigate, his kayak got bumped again.
The whales began to congregate around him. The whales were toying with him and his ship, tailing him, following him around, and playfully nudging the craft.
English then decided to take a closer look.
He donned his diving gear and dove into the waters. He watched how these pearl-skinned cetaceans majestically maneuver through the waters.
English continued singing as much as his equipment permitted, and soon enough some of the whales sang with him.
Belugas are known to be “very verbal” creatures.
These animals travel in packs called pods and usually communicate through a diverse collection of sounds like clicks, clangs, chirps, and whistles.
They are also named the “canaries of the seas” because they can mimic other sounds as well.
Belugas are polar animals. However, they migrate south toward Canada when the seas up north freeze over. Whales trapped in ice are easy prey for polar bears and orcas.
As for English, the experience was truly magical.
His experience has truly elevated the words “music is a global language.” And even if we spend the entire day arguing if he’s out of tune, the belugas have already made the decision to talk to him, swim with him, and let him know that creatures like them are intelligent.
Not everyone can get a chance like this. So when you find yourself swimming or paddling on calm seas and a beluga swims up to you, share a song, whistle a tune, and most of all, show others that we can live side-by-side with animals who live on the same planet as ours.
Watch how this man called the whales with his musical talent.
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