Giants of the ocean are celebrated on World Whale Day, which aims to raise awareness of these magnificent creatures, their beauty as well as their ecological value to the planet.

The annual day on the Third Sunday in February, World Whale Day, was founded in Maui, Hawaii in 1980 to honor humpback whales, which swim off of the coast of this tropical island. This day was started as an idea by Greg Kauffman, founder of the Pacific Whale Foundation, to raise awareness about the threat of extinction faced by humpback whales. These delightful creatures have become the main showcase of the Maui Whale Festival. Every year, crowds flock to the island to join in the free all-day event, organized by the Pacific Whale Foundation. The fun starts with a parade including floats, costumed characters and children’s events, plus music from Hawaiian and international stars. But Whale Day isn’t just about those humpbacks who are in Hawaii. Whales inhabit all of the earth’s oceans and, sadly, the oceans are not as healthy today as they once were. What used to be a lovely place for our whale friends to live has become polluted by toxic materials such as chemicals, oil spills, plastic litter and industrial waste that is a threat to the whale populations of today and the future. Paying heed to the biggest animals on the planet is what World Whale Day is all about.

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World Whale Day