RIGHT: A grey whale calf is petted by tourists in San Ignacio Lagoon on the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico2nd June, 2010
When these grey whales decided to get up close and personal with a group of tourists, the magical meeting was sealed with a kiss.
The gentle giants investigated as the whale-watchers’ boat sailed into their summer home – a lagoon off the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.
The US and Canadian tourists were able to pet and hug the mammals, so close had they surfaced, with one woman even puckering up for a peck on the lips with a calf.
‘The love-in was amazing given our treatment of the whales throughout history,’ said Michael Nolan, who took the pictures in March.
‘To think, man has almost wiped out the California grey whale from the planet twice by whaling activities –first in the mid-1800s and again at the turn of the 20th century.
'It is all the more amazing that these whales have either forgiven or forgotten our past transgressions against them.
‘Now the fact they choose to actively interact with our boats gives us hope for the future relationships between both species.’
There about 20,000 grey whales in the eastern Pacific. They are generally comfortable around people and often like to interact with humans.
They are found in Asia, where they are critically endangered, and one was seen in the Mediterranean, off Israel, last month.
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/829008-tourists-get-physical-kissing-grey-whale-calves-off-baja-peninsula
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