Watch: Blue whales return ‘home’ decades after being wiped out by whaling

Blue whales have returned to a part of the Indian Ocean where the species was once wiped out by whaling decades ago.

Researchers in the Seychelles have captured footage of the marine mammals in 2020 and 2021, and have recorded underwater audio showing that the whales spend months in the region - suggesting potential breeding activity.

The findings, published in the Journal of Endangered Species Research, have been described as a “conservation win” following the devastation that was caused by 1960s whaling.