Moby Dick (Rhine)
Encyclopedia
Moby Dick was a Beluga, or white whale, that caused a sensation in 1966 along the Lower Rhine
and then in all of Germany
and the Netherlands
. It was named after the whale in the novel Moby-Dick
by Herman Melville
.
On May 18, 1966, a few Rhine skippers near Duisburg
reported a white whale in the Rhine to the water police
. They reacted by first making the mariners take a blood alcohol test, which came up negative: there really was a white whale swimming in the Rhine 300 kilometers from the ocean and thousands of kilometers from the usual habitat of the beluga whale in arctic
waters.
Wolfgang Gewalt
, the director of the Duisburg Zoo
, tried to subdue the unusual guest in the Rhine with nets and tranquilizer darts, which led to massive protests from the people and official protests from the Netherlands so that he had to desist.
At first Moby Dick turned oceanward again, but stopped in front of a lock
to the ocean opened specially for him and swam up the Rhine again, as far as Bonn
. Once there he turned around again and was sighted three days later, on the June 16 at 18:42, for the last time after reaching the open ocean at Hoek van Holland
.
There is a suggestion that the appearance of Moby Dick in the Rhine had actually been the beginning of the environmental movement
in Germany. In fact, around 1966 the first effective environmental protection
laws in Germany were adopted. The Rhine, for example, through which "Moby Dick" swam at the time, was justifiably characterized as a sewer, since waste water from cities and chemical plants was for the most part poured in unfiltered.
Lower Rhine
The Lower Rhine flows from Bonn, Germany, to the North Sea at Hoek van Holland, Netherlands.Almost immediately after entering the Netherlands, the Rhine splits into many branches. The main branch is called the Waal which flows from Nijmegen to meet the river Meuse; after which it is called Merwede...
and then in all of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It was named after the whale in the novel Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
by Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
.
On May 18, 1966, a few Rhine skippers near Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
reported a white whale in the Rhine to the water police
Water police
Water police, also called harbour patrols, port police, marine/maritime police, nautical patrols, bay constables or river police, are police officers, usually a department of a larger police organisation, who patrol in water craft...
. They reacted by first making the mariners take a blood alcohol test, which came up negative: there really was a white whale swimming in the Rhine 300 kilometers from the ocean and thousands of kilometers from the usual habitat of the beluga whale in arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
waters.
Wolfgang Gewalt
Wolfgang Gewalt
Wolfgang Gewalt was a German zoologist, author and former director of the Duisburg Zoo.-Biography:After the study of zoology, botany, chemistry and anthropology, his main focus was research of the Great Bustard. He recorded his observations in the breeding grounds and his experience with hand...
, the director of the Duisburg Zoo
Duisburg Zoo
The Duisburg Zoo, founded on May 12, 1934, is one of the largest zoological gardens in Germany. It is especially well known for its dolphinarium and, since 1994, for breeding koalas....
, tried to subdue the unusual guest in the Rhine with nets and tranquilizer darts, which led to massive protests from the people and official protests from the Netherlands so that he had to desist.
At first Moby Dick turned oceanward again, but stopped in front of a lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
to the ocean opened specially for him and swam up the Rhine again, as far as Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
. Once there he turned around again and was sighted three days later, on the June 16 at 18:42, for the last time after reaching the open ocean at Hoek van Holland
Hoek van Holland
The Hook of Holland , also known in English as the Hook, is a town in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is situated on the North Sea coast, on the north bank of the Nieuwe Waterweg ship canal. The town is administered by the municipality of Rotterdam as a district of that city...
.
There is a suggestion that the appearance of Moby Dick in the Rhine had actually been the beginning of the environmental movement
Environmental movement
The environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
in Germany. In fact, around 1966 the first effective environmental protection
Environmental protection
Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...
laws in Germany were adopted. The Rhine, for example, through which "Moby Dick" swam at the time, was justifiably characterized as a sewer, since waste water from cities and chemical plants was for the most part poured in unfiltered.