A native humpback whale has reportedly returned to Kalparrin Lake in Greensborough as the planet recovers during the current lockdown enforced by the outbreak of COVID-19. As humanity comes to grips with COVID-19, and all the health and economic impacts associated with it, some good news broke last month about our very sore planet regenerating in places where lockdown had significantly reduced pollution.
While many of those reports, including stories of dolphins swimming in the canals of Venice, turned out to be false, local conservationist Darren Hamlet contacted The Watsonia Bugle yesterday to share one of the more extraordinary developments that has ever passed our desk. Hamlet said while taking his dog for a walk in Greensborough, he was suddenly splashed by a giant humpback whale breaching the pristine waters of Kalparrin Lake.
Shocked by the sudden drenching, Hamlet quickly grabbed his phone out to capture a picture of the unexpected event, and fortunately captured the above image. Hamlet said, “I was genuinely staggered. I’d heard my Dad tell stories about seeing humpbacks swimming at Kalparrin back in the day, but I just thought he was talking shit. Looks like I owe the old man an apology.”
According to local marine biologist Trevor Daniels, the combination of recent heavy rain and the general decrease in the production of nasty pollutants, provided ideal conditions for the return of humpback whales to Greensborough’s most popular body of water. Daniels said, “It sounds absurd, but Kalparrin Lake was once home to a thriving humpback population. All that rain we copped last weekend provided the perfect storm for the return of these beautiful animals to that beautiful lake.”
Have you seen any humpbacks breaching the surface at Kalparrin Lake? If so, send us some pics.
The Watsonia Bugle 