HOME RESEARCH CONSERVATION CCRC ... CONTACT What's on at the Cook Islands Whale Education Centre
Rarotonga, Cook Islands, South Pacific Have you ever wondered how whales sleep or how fast a spinner dolphin spins through the air with a glorious leap? Have you ever held a whale vertebra or listened to a humpback singing while standing on its head upside down in its watery realm? Visitors to the Cook Islands Whale Outreach Center will be introduced to the fascinating world of whales and dolphins and experience a plethora of awareness, knowledge and fun. Oceans cover over three quarters of the Earth's surface. In these waters live ancient whale mysteries. What could be more dynamic than a center where people of all ages come together and learn, find solutions to problems and help unravel these mysteries? Here you will meet the humpback whales, the spinner dolphins, and the elusive beaked whales of the Cook Islands. Humpbacks come to these waters on their 4000 mile migration from Antarctica. In September 2004 we will satellite tag a humpback whale and track its migration on a computer screen at the center! How can it be that "White Socks" a humpback seen in Rarotonga in August of 1999 was seen off of Tonga six weeks later over a thousand miles away!? The centre offers hands on educational activities, electronic game boards, extensive outreach presentations, videos, guest lecturers, visual displays, posters, murals and photographs thereby teaching environmental awareness, the protection of ecosystems and ultimately all life in the sea. | |
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