The Lagoon: Encounters with the Whales of San Ignacio

In this solid outing, naturalist Dorsey (Baboons for Lunch) reflects on studying the Pacific gray whales of San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja, Mexico, over the past 20 years. Drawing on his time working at a whale nursery and leading whale-watching tours, the author expounds on the behavior of gray whales and explains that every December they swim from Alaska to San Ignacio to give birth and look after newborn calves as they build up enough blubber to withstand the frigid northern waters. He suggests that the lagoon is one of “the only places on Earth where wild animals in their natural habitat routinely seek human contact,” and he recounts when a large female whale balanced his skiff on her stomach, held it in place with her fins, and “played with us like a giant bathtub toy.” Most affecting is his condemnation of keeping whales in captivity, telling the story of a baby gray whale confined to a SeaWorld enclosure where she “barely had room to move.” Dorsey’s frequent references to the whale-watching company he worked for distract (“Baja Ecotours receives the most clients of any camp in the lagoon”), but the surprising stories testify to the marine mammals’ overlooked emotional complexity. The result is a revealing look at the awe-inspiring creatures. (May)