Epic journey of the comeback humpbacks

The first humpbacks have begun their annual migration along the Australian coast. They may be safe from Japanese whalers, but perils remain.

Australia’s largest single wild animal migration, the coastal trek of the humpback whale, is expanding yearly into a major spectacle. This week’s sporadic first sightings in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania show the lead animals in the yearly passage between Antarctica and the tropics are on their way north again. Up the coast, humpback season has started.