Betrayal

~ Live & Learn

Don’t give up on this one.  The underwater footage begins a the 1 minute mark.  The Humpback calf comes on a 1:42.  And you may  wish you stopped watching a wee bit before the finish.  No spoiler.  (But don’t say you weren’t warned)

More on the background of this clip below.

“Hannah Fraser stars in ‘Betrayal,’ a conservation-themed video that features a ‘life-changing’ encounter in the South Pacific.  Fraser acts as a betrayed woman who has fallen into deep despair. She plunges into the dark ocean and is about to give up when she receives a visit by a humpback whale calf. The human and mammal bond as they perform what appears to be a choreographed dance, and the amazing encounter restores the woman’s hope and faith. ‘The woman rediscovers hope and love, dancing with joy as she experiences a profound connection, and comes face to face with this incredible being,” says Heinrichs, an award-winning cinematographer.

Humpback whales, like most other species of whales, were hunted to the brink of extinction during the whaling era. There is mounting pressure by some nations to have them removed from the endangered species list so they can resume hunting.

The footage is unique and remarkable because Fraser was able to get so close to the young humpback, whose mother was nearby, for an extended period. In the video, the mother ultimately arrives and reclaims her calf.

‘The fact that these whales can choose to interact with us so freely, when they can swim away in an instant, and considering our species drove their species to the brink of extinction … to spend time in their company is both humbling and a life-changing experience,’ Fraser says.”

Source: GrindTV

40 thoughts on “Betrayal”

  12. Beautiful and haunting, I was mesmerized throughout, it seemed fluid and choreographed at the same time. As I watched the calf, the word that came up for me was ‘compassion’. The harpoon-shaped ‘l’ in betrayal had me holding my breath. How is it as humans for some of us to look at this beautiful creature and see an understanding and empathic being and others of us to see it as food and/or profit, something inanimate?

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  16. Gorgeous. I couldn’t watch it to the end. I’ve seen that ending over and over. We humans are so damn destructive.

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  17. Ethereal,jarring, haunting … had to leave the office for a walk to dry my eyes after that ending … the second time in almost as many days, having earlier read “The Ocean is Broken”. Was about to provide a link to that, but chose the following instead, for its reasoned response to the emotive article. In short, we all have a choice as to how we act … dumb beasts or prescient custodians. I shudder at the consequences if we can’t figure out the right choice.

    http://theconversation.com/the-ocean-is-not-broken-but-consumer-behaviour-is-19458

    OK, changed my mind, here’s the other article:

    http://www.smh.com.au/environment/the-ocean-is-broken-20131018-2vs7v.html

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