Photo Gallery
The Whale Interpretive Centre hosted the largest public collection of marine mammal skeletons in Western Canada. Sadly, due to a fire in Telegraph Cove on New Year's Eve 2024, the entire collection was lost. Below are the photos and stories of our original collection. While the skeletons are no longer with us, the stories and information that we learned from each individual will not be forgotten.
Humpback whale
This 1-3 year old humpback whale died in 2012 in White Rock due to entanglement. He was towed to Telegraph Cove by Pacific Cachalot Towing, who generously donated their time and boats for the task. A team cleaned the bones in nearby Bauza Cove before being hung off the dock in Telegraph Cove to allow for microorganisms to continue the cleaning process. He was reconstructed by Mike deRoos and the Cetacea Contracting team and hung in the WIC in 2018. See below the documentary “Reconstructing Whales” by Borrowtime Films, which shows the process of cleaning and articulating this humpback whale skeleton!
Bigg's killer whale - Eileen
This adult male killer whale was found dead near Port Hardy in 2009. At 7.6 m and 6-7 tonnes, he truly is an incredible animal! DFO scientist Graeme Ellis identified him as T44, an individual he had contact with over 160 times in his life. The necropsy revealed stomach contents such as over 300 harbour seal claws, hair and whiskers from pinnipeds, dolphin teeth, and two elephant seal research tags that were traced down to Año Nuevo, California! He was constructed by Mike deRoos and his team at Cetacea Contracting and, with the generous support of Eileen Graham (whom we have named him after!) we were able to hang him in the WIC in the summer of 2018.
Juvenile killer whale - Stubby
This small killer whale died in 1989 near Namu, a former salmon cannery on the central coast, and was found by Dr. Dave Bain and DFO scientist Linda Nichols. Dr. Michael Bigg and Jim Borrowman ran the newly built M.V. Lukwa to Namu, placed him on the back deck of the boat and ran back to Telegraph Cove where Dr. Bigg performed a necropsy. Stubby was articulated by Gilles Dani, a dinosaur expert from Alberta.
Steller sea lion - Stella
Stella was one of approximately 16 Steller Sea Lions in our collection, and was found floating in Blackfish Sound in 2005. He was reconstructed by a WIC employee.
Grey whale - Arnie
This young grey whale died in 2004 at about 18 months of age. He died after drowning under the Campbell River fishermen’s pier and he was towed to Telegraph Cove by the M.V. Gikumi to be cleaned. He was articulated by a team at the Whale Interpretive Centre and with the aid of Shotgun Boats of Port McNeill.
Cuvier's beaked whale
Our Cuvier’s beaked whale was found by Peter Curtis on the west coast of Vancouver Island in 2013. He was brought back to Telegraph Cove by West Coast Helicopters who generously donated much of the cost, and after extensive cleaning, he was reconstructed by Cetacea Contracting and hung in the WIC in 2020.
Fin whale - Finny
The WIC's immature Fin Whale was struck by a cruise ship in 1999. It was a wedding gift from our treasurer, Mary Borrowman, to her husband Jim – the WIC’s chairperson! Following the bones’ cleaning, this specimen was reconstructed by Mike deRoos, the Whale Interpretive Centre’s first employee in from 2002 to 2004.
