According to the Guardian, at the peak of the whaling industry only 1,500 whales were left alive. The species was removed from the list this week.
Ley told the independent news outlet that the removal of the Humpback from the threatened species list was based on science.
More than 30,000 whales were hunted and killed in Australia and New Zealand before whaling stopped in 1963, according to The Guardian. In 1965, the animals received international protection. Australia passed an anti-whaling policy in 1979 and as many as 40,000 people are still alive in the wild.
Despite progress in Australia, some people are concerned that whale populations will decline as climate change gets worse. The de-listing doesn't mean there aren't risk factors, according to ABC News. Netentangles, fishing boats, pollution and other human influences are threats to global whale populations.
It's a sad situation because you have a recovering whale population, which is a great thing, but also we should be cautiously optimistic as well as to adhere to monitoring this population in the future.
It's always unnerving to think about the future impacts of climate change, but at least for now the whale is thriving in the ocean.
There is more on happy animal news.
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