:48:01
that strains tiny shrimp for food,
and that is the limit of their hostility.
:48:07
Unfortunately, their principal enemy
is far more aggressive.
:48:11
- You mean man?
- To put it mildly.
:48:15
Men have always harvested whales
for a variety of purposes,
:48:19
most of which can be synthesised.
:48:22
100 years ago, using hand-thrown
harpoons, man did plenty of damage.
:48:27
But that is nothing compared to what
he has achieved in this century.
:48:31
Mankind has hunted whales
to the brink of extinction.
:48:36
Virtually gone is the blue whale,
the largest creature on Earth.
:48:41
Despite all attempts to ban whaling,
there are still countries and pirates
:48:45
currently engaged in the slaughter
of these creatures.
:48:49
Humpback whales, once numerous,
now number about 10,000 specimens.
:48:55
Those that are taken
are no longer fully grown.
:48:58
In addition, many of the female whales
are killed with their unborn calves.
:49:04
To hunt a species to extinction
is not logical.
:49:08
Whoever said the human race
was logical?
:49:12
If you'll follow me, I'll introduce you
to the institute's pride and joy.
:49:29
This is the largest
seawater tank in the world.
:49:32
It contains the only
two humpback whales in captivity.
:49:42
They are mature humpbacks
weighing 45,000 pounds each.
:49:48
They wandered into San Francisco Bay
as calves and were brought here.
:49:52
We call them George and Gracie.
:49:57
It's perfect.
A male and female in a tank.