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Witness History

The discovery of whalesong

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.41.6K Ratings

🗓️ 23 January 2020

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Whales were being hunted to extinction, when in 1967, a biologist called Dr Roger Payne realised they could sing. It changed the perception of whales and helped found the modern conservation movement. Claire Bowes spoke to Dr Payne about his discovery in 2017. This programme is a rebroadcast.

(Photo: Humpback Whale, courtesy of Christian Miller of Ocean Alliance)

Transcript

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0:00.0

Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know.

0:04.7

My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds.

0:08.5

As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices.

0:18.0

What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars,

0:24.6

poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples.

0:29.7

If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC

0:35.4

Sounds.

0:38.4

Choosing what to watch.

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The flicking through. The endless searching is a nightmare. We want to help you. On our

0:46.7

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0:50.3

Cladie aider. Load to games, loads of fun, loads of screaming, lovely.

0:55.0

Off the telly with me Joanna Paige and me, Natalie Cassidy,

0:59.0

so your evenings can be a little less searching

1:02.0

and a lot more watching listen on BBC

1:04.7

sounds.

1:06.7

Hello and thanks for downloading witness history from the BBC World Service with me Claire Bowes.

1:16.0

During the 1960s Wales were being hunted almost to the point of extinction,

1:22.0

but in 1967 scientists discovered that Wales could sing

1:26.8

and it changed people's perceptions of the world's largest mammal. I've been

1:31.5

speaking to Dr Roger Payne about his discovery and its effect on the

1:36.1

modern conservation movement. Dr Roger Payne is

...

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