Screenshot of video circulating on social media platforms allegedly from Saida, South Lebanon, of a whale swimming along the coast. (Screenshot from social networks)
BEIRUT — A video of a whale allegedly spotted in Saida, South Lebanon by a group of people on a boat has been circulating on social media platforms since Wednesday. Is this an unusual sight along the Lebanese coast? Earlier this month, sharks were also reportedly sighted off the country's shores.
L’Orient Today turned to Professor Michel Bariche, a marine biologist at the American University of Beirut, for insights and clarifications as questions about the marine fauna off Lebanon abound.
What kind of whale was spotted off Saida this week?
The video circulating is of a sperm whale, and it does not attack humans. People abroad pay money to go whale spotting, so there's no need to panic; there is nothing unusual with whale or shark spotting across Lebanon.
Swimming at beaches across Lebanon is totally safe, as it has always been.
If sharks and whales went around attacking humans, we would have heard of an attack on a weekly basis. Shark attacks yearly are on average five worldwide; more people get killed by horses or mosquitoes than they get killed by sharks.
In what seasons are whales present along the Lebanese coast?
Whales seasonally emigrate, just like birds do, and they pass through the Mediterranean, following also the fish they eat, which are also emigrating. This is how nature works. Different species of whales emigrate at different times, so they can be spotted all year round.
Since it's summer, people are going to the sea more … which might explain why more people spot marine animals. Unfortunately, some social media users are hyping this up and dealing with their presence as [something] odd or unusual, which isn't the case.
So whales are spotted in different seasons in Lebanon, but big animals in the oceans and seas can’t be confined; they might end up in Italy next week or even in the Atlantic next week.
People are worried this summer after many reports of shark sightings and now whale [sightings], and I’m telling them not to worry; there's nothing abnormal happening along the Lebanese coast, this is how it’s always been.