The whale whisperers

Four decades of pioneering data and observing patiently are decoding our changing oceans

- Jamaine Krige

In the vast expanses of South Africa’s coastal waters, a team of dedicated scientists has been quietly conducting lone of the world’s most important marine mammal studies.

For nearly 40 years, the Mammal Research Institute (MRI) Whale Unit at the University of Pretoria has been watching whales and what they've learned is transforming our understanding of ocean health and climate change.

“We study whales not just to protect them, but because they're indicators of something much bigger,” explains Dr Els Vermeulen, the unit's research manager. “When whale populations change, it often reflects shifts in the entire ocean ecosystem.”

Since 1969, the Whale Unit has tracked southern right whales with extraordinary consistency. Their long-term data has revealed worrying trends: fewer calves, shifting migration patterns and declining body condition — all linked to warming seas and reduced prey in Southern Ocean feeding grounds.