Nederlands
Telegraph Cove is a small village on the northern part of Vancouver Island. Many tourists visit the village during the summer, for example to go kayaking or whale watching. Some of the houses in Telegraph Cove are built near a wooden dock around the harbor. An old building can be found at the end of this dock, in which The Whale Interpretive Centre is located.
By Annemieke Podt / Juni 2016
The museum exists since 2002 and runs on donations from the public. It is visited by people from many different countries, which is clearly demonstrated on the ‘where are you from?’-whiteboard near the entrance. A lot of skeletons of different species of cetaceans can be seen in the museum, but also skeletons of a sea otter, seal and Steller sea lion are on display. Orcas are also well represented in the museum. A replica of the dorsal fin of a male orca is placed under the museums sign board near the entrance.
The skeleton of T44
The skeleton of Bigg’s orca T44 is on display in the museum. Scientists photographed T44 for the first time in 1978, when he was a young orca. Sadly, he was found dead in 2009 near Port Hardy. Not long before his death, he was seen swimming near Telegraph Cove. T44 was around 32 years old when he died and was almost eight meters long. During the necropsy, scientists found almost 300 seals claws in his stomach. Two flipper tags, used by scientists to mark young elephant seals, were found as well. The cause of death could not be determined. The skeleton of T44 was donated to the Whale Interpretive Centre after the necropsy, where visitors can see it.
“During the necropsy, scientists found almost 300 seals claws in his stomach.”
Visited in August 2014