Watch the video of the compassionate humpback below.
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Humpback whales are among some of the largest and most beautiful creatures to ever be.
During July to October, they migrate to Tonga to have a safe and secure environment for mating, out of the range of predators. Here, the conditions are extremely favorable for their reproduction.
It is also the time when females feed their babies to help them grow fast and be self-sufficient.
Once the babies attain the desired size and strength, they can go back to their natural habitat, the northern waters, where they normally dwell.
The male humpbacks, also known as the bulls, accompany the females to Tonga in order to provide safety to the females and their off-springs as well as to get a chance to mate. The protective behavior of the bulls is hence the result of both.
When it’s the time for a female whale to mate, males sense it and chase the female. This chase usually involves six to seven bulls traveling towards the female at full speed in a bid to catch it.
They are extremely aggressive in this duration as they compete with fellow males to get that one opportunity.
Not very usual, but it is possible for the bulls to seriously harm the fellows in this process to impress the female. Just imagine, animals weighing at above 60 tonnes, with hormones raging through their gigantic bodies, ready to do anything to get the chance to mate.
Still, despite all this aggressive behavior, the humpback whales remain as gentle as a living creature could be.
A shocking video which recently surfaced online shows how a bull slowed down at an unbelievable pace just to avoid hitting a swimmer in its path.
It all started when a group of swimmers was snorkeling in the Tongan waters, hoping to get a chance to swim along with the humpbacks they’ve been seeing from their boat.
The whales suddenly appeared, bolting through the water like wild animals in an African forest but only many times heavier and more aggressive.
Following a female, the herd came like a storm, almost running over two swimmers. But they were lucky enough to see them coming and swim back out of their way.
The Tongan laws dictate swimmers to maintain a distance of at least 15 feet from the whales.
Although the tour guides make it sure to enforce these laws so that the guests don’t get in the danger zone, however, it is impossible to control the behavior of the whales when a tourist violates this safe distance rule.
The swimmer who filmed this unbelievable footage casually looked to his left to discover a massive humpback, more than 50 feet in length, closing in on him in the shallow water hardly enough for the whale to swim across.
Realizing that it was about to obliterate a person in its path, the compassionate giant slowed down at the fastest rate possible and adjusted its path to avoid hitting the helpless swimmer.
It then swam right beneath the person, missing him by just a few inches.
The kind beast stroked its tail in a slow and careful manner so as to avoid creating any inconvenience for the swimmer. Just after clearing him, the whale moved its tail with larger and faster strokes to keep up with the pack.
The footage shows a total of seven whales dashing past the swimmers, without harming them.
These whales are much more intelligent and compassionate than we think. It is sad to know that hunting these animals is still legal in some countries.
But thankfully, the Tongan people know more than anyone else how to respect the whales and the environment.
The humpbacks are also monetarily important for the Tongans as a lot of tourists visit the area to see and enjoy the whales in all their glory.