Every year, World Whale Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of February to raise awareness about the importance of whales. This means World Whale Day falls on a different date every year. The annual event that is celebrated across the world aims to educate people about the threats whales face, such as climate change, habitat destruction, and hunting. World Whale Day 2025 falls on Sunday, February 16. The event was first established in 1980 in Maui, Hawaii, to honour humpback whales, which migrate to the Hawaiian waters during winter. Will We Ever Speak with Whales?
Whales can pass on ‘culture’ to other whales in the form of behaviours and songs. There are two different types of whales – Baleen whales filter krill and plankton from the water while toothed whales eat larger animals such as fish and squid. In this article, let’s know more about World Whale Day 2025 date and the significance of the annual event. Humpback Whale Briefly Swallows Kayaker off Chilean Coast Before Quickly Releasing Him Unharmed, Frightening Moment Caught on Camera (Watch Video).
World Whale Day 2025 Date
World Whale Day 2025 falls on Sunday, February 16.
World Whale Day History
World Whale Day was initially created in Hawaii to celebrate the native humpback whales in 1980. Over the last 40 years, the annual event has become an international day to celebrate all whales. The day also aims to raise awareness of the risks whales face worldwide. Since 1980, the annual event has grown into a global occasion, promoting whale conservation and appreciation through events, educational programs, and eco-friendly initiatives.
World Whale Day Significance
World Whale Day serves as an excellent opportunity to highlight their plight and the threats they face due to rising ocean temperatures, plastic pollution, habitat destruction and more. Whales play a crucial role in maintaining the health of marine ecosystems. As apex predators, whales help maintain balance by controlling the populations of prey species such as krill and fish. They absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their bodies. When they die, their carcasses sink to the ocean floor, locking away carbon for centuries.
The major threats that whales face around the world are all directly linked to human behaviour. Commercial whaling in the twentieth century killed three million whales, massively reducing whale populations until it was largely banned in 1986.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 15, 2025 10:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
