South Georgia is a very special spot for wildlife but that wasn’t always the case. Today was a bit haunting as the first stop was an old Whaling Station that processed 35 Whales a Day at its highest production. A breath taking 175K whales were killed and processed during the station’s history. More than I want to imagine, but now it’s a rusting environmental legacy. Fortunately today’s visit was the opposite of death, as the beaches were home to a new generation of Fur Seals. It’s also a place that is very aware the affect of invasive species as my boots were sanitized off and on the boat and every piece of Velcro inspected for seeds to prevent transfer.
Today we were supposed to visit Shackeltons’s grave site but it was guarded by aggressive and gigantic elephant seals. They didn’t have to tell me twice to skip that section. I enjoyed the stroll to the other side of the station. I got to watch the cavorting baby fur seals, learning how to swim and fish and just be seals.
Tomorrow promises another day to explore South Georgia and I’m guessing it will be all about Penguins!
WanderlustandWhimSea 