Season 4, Episode 4
Title: Newfoundland’s Christmas Whales
Time: 12:40
Locations: Springdale, Loon Bay
Stories: The True Story of Newfoundland’s Christmas Whales
Listen:
About The Episode:
If you want to see whales, Newfoundland and Labrador is the place to go.
More than 20 species routinely pass through our waters, and the world’s largest population of humpback whales —numbering about 10,000 animals — spends the summer months feeding on our shores.
When fall arrives, most — but not all — begin a long journey south. A small number of whales linger into late autumn, and a few brave souls stay through the winter.
In Newfoundland, these holdouts have earned an interesting nickname: Christmas whales.
In 1978, a small group of these Christmas whales — some humpbacks and a lone narwhal — came face-to-face with the harsh reality of a Newfoundland winter.
But they didn’t have to face it alone.
What transpired was a lesson in the good that comes when a community cares.
Check Out
As discussed in the episode check out the Christmas Whales episode of Land & Sea on CBC Gem.
Listening Options
You can listen to the episode here or on your favourite platform.
Sources & Further Reading
The True Story of Newfoundland’s Christmas Whales, Product of Newfoundland
Winter Whales of Springdale, Green Bay News, April 18, 1979
Weather Aids in Whales’ Rescue, Lewisporte Pilot, January 11, 1978
Pilley’s Island, Green Bay News, January 11, 1978
Coast Guard to Help, Western Star, February 28, 1978
Trapped Whales Being Examined, Western Star, March 2, 1978
Biologists Enroute, Daily Star, March 3, 1978
Aquarium Head Concerned, Western Star, April 7, 1978
4 Whales Remain, Western Star, April 12, 1978
A Whale Picture Story, Green Bay News, April 12, 1978
Whales Disappear from Hall’s Bay, Western Star, April 17, 1978
Good Effort By Springdale Men, Western Star, May 2, 1978
Whale Man, Memorial University
Christmas Whales, Land & Sea, CBC Gem
Winter Whales Common, The Telegram, Jan 12, 2015
Newfoundland has some place names that sound like they belong in a ghost story. This Halloween, I’m exploring some of the island’s creepiest names and the curious stories behind them.
In October 1794 a shortage of sailors aboard a naval ship in St. John’s harbour set off a chain of events leading to the gallows… and a grisly post-mortem punishment.
According to one newspaper, Torbay was gripped by a ghostly disturbance in 1877. Night after night, Moses Power’s home was under attack…
In 1894, a painter from St. John’s was exhibiting her work in Paris. Margaret Campbell Macpherson built an international career — and somehow became a nearly forgotten Newfoundland story.
After years of illness, a Newfoundland nun left the island praying for a miracle. She returned convinced her prayers had been answered.
Something was killing sheep near Little St. Lawrence in 1958. Then a strange, five-foot-long animal was captured. Its skull was sent to St. John’s for identification…