When is it okay to abandon a live interview? When a blue whale suddenly appears behind you… #BigBlueLive https://t.co/irRqnHij0l
— BBC One (@BBCOne) August 30, 2015
Blue whales are having their moment right now. After punking zoologists during a promo video for the new Big Blue Live, a live nature show about Monterey Bay’s National Marine Sanctuary airing on BBC One and PBS, these giant sea creatures decided that they hadn’t had enough of the spotlight. Yesterday, BBC presenter Steve Backshall was in the middle of a live interview with whale expert Doris Welch in Monterey, California, when a blue whale showed up where they were filming, leading Backshall to break from the interview to focus on this awesome occurrence. This was the first time a blue whale had ever been spotted live on camera, and Backshall was visibly moved. Despite his obvious excitement, Backshall managed to keep the moment professional yet personal, eloquently speaking about the nature of these rare and incredible creatures.
“When I started off filming wildlife just 16 years ago, if someone had said ‘go and film a blue whale,’ I would have said they were crazy. Now, things have changed so much in the last couple of decades, just in my lifetime, that we can do this in real time. We can bring this to you live! These animals have made such an extraordinary comeback. This is something that every single person out there should look at and take notice of. If we protect places, they will come back, and they will come back in dramatic style.”
They were able to capture several minutes of the whale on camera, making this a truly historic event in animal documentation and conservation.
(Via Mashable)