The Great Migration of the Grey Whales

It is the longest annual migration of any mammal in the world; and their destination is Mexico. Grey whales were recently on the brink of extinction, but this year up to 25,000 of them are expected to appear off the coast of Baja California. It is their mating season and, for a creature so big, that is quite a feat to accomplish.


The grey whale (eschrichtius robustus) are giants of the sea. They can grow up to 16 meters (52 ft), weighing in at about 36 tonnes. However, those spotted so far this year, off the coast of Mexico, have been a mere 11 meters (36ft). As the name suggests, they tend to be slate-grey in color, with barnacles clinging to them for the ride through the ocean. They have two blow-holes, which cause a distinctive 'V' shape plume of water and air.

Their migration will have begun, in the icy north, last October. Starting in the Bering and Chukchi seas, they travel down the length of Alaska, Canada and the USA, in a journey of 6,000–22,000km (9,900–14,000 miles). By January, the first of them are spotted in Mexico, making for three of their favourite lagoons. Tens of thousands of them descend upon Laguna Ojo de Libre, San Ignacio and Magdalena, to birth their babies and breed some more.

The latter is a tricky process. The sheer size of the grey whales means that some co-operation is clearly required. The female will flip onto her back, stabilized by one or more males; her actual mate will then be able to approach. All of this beneath the watchful eyes and cooing of hordes of marine biologists and tourists gathered upon the shore. It is all clearly visible.


Photo by Gerard Soury
Also very much in evidence are the female grey whales in labour and the newborn calves. The pregnant females are usually the first to arrive and the last to leave. Their calves are born tail first and already around 4.9 meters (16ft) long. They will stay close to their mothers, breaching the surface in a synchronized arc, not departing from the lagoons until late April or early May.

Like mothers everywhere, the grey whales wish to protect their babies for as long as they can. The lagoons of Baja California are too shallow for two of their greatest predators, orcas and sharks; while it is illegal for their third predator, humans, to hunt them here. Mexico is at the forefront of whale conservation, with many of its fishermen, in Baja California, trained and co-opted into protecting the grey whales during this season.


Another huge danger lies out in the Pacific Ocean. This is pollution and littering. A recent study undertaken by researcher Rob Williams (University of British Colombia, in Canada) estimated that the migration route of the grey whales contains some 36,000 pieces of plastic and other human shed debris. The whales ingest large amounts of ocean water, as they swim, filtering out the smaller organisms from its stomach sacs. But anything bigger says put.

In April, last year, a dead grey whale was beached in Seattle. When its stomachs were opened, they were found to contain: more than 20 plastic bags, small towels, surgical gloves, sweat pants, plastic pieces, duct tape and a golf ball. (Vancouver Sun: Ocean garbage: Floating landmines)


Grey whales came with a hair's breadth of extinction. A few years ago, the prognosis for their species looked very bleak. Their North Atlantic cousins disappeared completely under the harpoons of hunters, during the 18th century. The Pacific almost had a similar story. An infamous American whaler, Captain Charles Melville Scammon, discovered the Mexican grey whale breeding lagoons. Between 1857-1860, he hunted so many that the lagoons were nearly emptied. It has been a slow crawl back from the brink, but the outlook is good now.

Dr Jorge Urban, a grey whale expert based in Baja California, has already reported that this year's migration has brought nearly four times the usual number of grey whales. It appears that they are surviving out in the ocean's depths and that the future is looking rosy.


For now, the tourists watch from the shores of the Baja; with experts on hand to explain to excited children all that they can see. Some go out on boats, but the fishermen are patrolling in vessels of their own. By Mexican law, none can interfere with the breeding and birthing of these majestic whales, and the fisherman are there to ensure that this is the case. They will let the tourist boats out only as long as they will not be disturbing the mating.

There will always be lone whales, just hanging out, awaiting their turn to breed or leave. Grey whales are some of the friendiest marine creatures. They are quite happy to swim alongside boats and, despite their checkered past with human beings, will pause to say hello.

AlJazeera currently has an eye-witness report and footage of the awe-inspiring scenes, in Baja California, right now: 'Breaking waves: The story of the grey whales'.

The Killers: 'When You Were Young'

Tlayacapan has long been noted for its spiritual landscape. Ever since the Augustian monks flooded in, between 1534 and 1574, monasteries, chapels and churches have dominated the area. The largest of all, the monastery of San Juan Baustista (St John the Baptist), towers over everything else. It contains the biggest church in the entire state of Morelos; and it is part of a complex which was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994.

With such scenery to use, it's hardly any wonder that The Killers chose this town as the location for their seminal 2006 music video, 'When You Were Young.'



The story is told in a series of flashbacks. A young woman (Sonia Couoh) takes up the position of a cook/barmaid in a bar. Her entrance interrupts the flirting between the bar's owner (Gustavo Sanchez Parra) and a female patron. The look which passes between employer and new employee is enough to tip the customer off. These pair are attracted to each other; the customer has lost her chance, so she storms out. The camera pans to the next room, where The Killers are playing to a packed crowd. The young woman and The Killer's singer, Brandon Flowers, exchange a long, meaningful gaze, as Flowers warns, "He doesn't look a thing like Jesus."

The young woman and the bar-owner become a couple, with religion ever in the foreground. She is a devout Catholic, praying in various locations, while her boyfriend waits outside. They are eventually seen getting married, with their family surrounding them in a joyous scene.

Fachada principal de la Capilla de Santiago, in Tlayacapan
Another flashback shows how it all goes wrong. She returns home one day to find her husband in bed with another woman. It is the woman from the bar, who had been so angry when the couple first met. While the bar-owner moves to reach his wife, his mistress pulls him back onto the bed. His wife rushes out, utterly distraught. She eventually ends up on a high mountain, topped with a white cross, looking out over the town.

There are two endings. In the mainstream version, her husband catches up and the couple are reconciled. In the alternative version, she leaps to her death from the summit, before he can reach her.

Capilla de Santiago, as seen in 'When You Were Young'
Mexican film director, Carlos Reygadas, was brought in to create the music video. Based in Mexico City, Reygadas was a United Nations worker, turned movie-maker, who usually focused on full-length feature films.

At the time when 'When You Were Young' was being shot, Reygadas had just received world-wide notoriety for his film, 'Batalla en el Cielo' (Battle in Heaven). It had competed in the Cannes Film Festival, but was remembered mainly for the scenes of graphic sex, with religious undertones. Several commentators have pointed out the common themes between 'Batalla en el Cielo' and those in 'When You Were Young'. Both also had scenes were a protagonist climbs a mountain peak, adorned with a cross, and looks out across the vista beneath.


A scene from 'When You Were Young'
It used to be just Christian pilgrims and Chinelos dance aficionados, who made the journey to Tlayacapan. These days the local people are getting used to meeting fans of The Killers. Visitors to the town will easily find someone to show them around the locations, where the video was filmed.

Is It Legal?

Many people come to Mexico for a good time. They want the beaches, parties, free flowing alcohol and sun. It might never occur to them that entering another country means being subject to different laws, which may not be anything like their counterparts back home. If you commit a crime in Mexico, then you will be subject to Mexican law.

It's worth knowing what that law is then! We've compiled the most commonly queried legalities.

Alcohol

The age to legally drink alcohol in Mexico is eighteen.

Driving

You need to be 18 in order to drive in Mexico, however most rental agencies require the driver to be 21 years old.

Drugs

If you are carrying, or intend to buy, prescription drugs, then it is worth checking that they are also legal in Mexico. The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk (COFEPRIS) can help there. Their website, in English, is here. Each country differs on what is or isn't allowed, so even if your doctor back home gave them to you, they might be illegal over the border. It is also illegal to procure drugs with a prescription written by a doctor outside Mexico. You will need go see a doctor in Mexico first, then get him/her to prescribe your medication.

Some drugs, which may be illegal in your own country, are legal in small amounts in Mexico. These are quantities judged to be for personal use. They include: 5g marijuana, half a gram of cocaine, 50mg of heroin, 40mg of methamphetamine or 0.015mg of LSD. Anything over that is not legal.

Possession or use of any drugs deemed illegal in Mexico can carry a prison sentence of up to 25 years.

Firearms

Anyone wishing to take firearms, or ammunition, into Mexico can do so. However, they need a permit, secured prior to entry. It's not enough to declare the firearm at the border. These are strictly controlled and the penalties high.

Sex

The age of consent in Mexico is a little more complex than in neighbouring countries. The Federal Law, which exists as the minimum throughout the country, states that the age of consent is 12 years old (with restrictions). However, there is also state law, which changes depending upon which Mexican state you are in at the time. This places the minimum age at 12 (or puberty) through to 15. For example, in Quintana Roo, where millions of vacationers visit Cancun, the age of consent is 12.

However, before everyone goes cradle-snatching, please look again at that 'with restrictions' part. All of this very much relies upon the youngster being able to consent, with no complaints from him/her nor from his/her family. This includes consent given through seduction or deceit. In short, if the act has taken place, then either the child or their family complains, then the other party may find themselves with a lengthy prison term.

Moreover, some countries, like the USA, have laws on their own statute books governing sexual relations with minors in another country. In other words, it is legally possible for an American to travel to Mexico, engage with acts with a twelve year old; leave with no complaints nor arrest under Mexican law; then return home to find themselves on trial in their own country for 'sexual tourism' paedophilia.

It's probably much safer to move onto the age of consent (without restrictions). Again this varies from state to state, ranging from 16 to 18. In Quintana Roo, it is 18. The 'without restrictions' means that the family have no say in the matter and, unless someone has actually been raped, then there are no legal penalties.

Please note that the above applies equally to heterosexual and homosexual intercourse. It's all equal.