Crossing Borders
国境を越えて
One morning, Ao's signal crossed an invisible line drawn on Sofia's map.
The whale had entered the waters of another country, whose laws were very different.
In that region, commercial whaling was still allowed by the local .
Sofia knew a scientist there whose research had long opposed the hunts.
Suddenly, Ao's signal was lost, and the screen showed only empty sea.
The tag might have been damaged, or the whale might have been harmed.
Sofia phoned every colleague whose help she could possibly ask for.
"Ao was tracked for months," she explained, "and now she has vanished."
Years ago, whales in these waters were hunted almost to .
Later, many species were protected by international agreements.
But a few nations, whose traditions include whaling, never fully stopped.
Sofia contacted an whose office managed the local whaling permits.
"Was a whale reported near your this week?" she asked anxiously.
The records were checked, but no clear answer was given to her.
A young researcher, whose father had once been a whaler, offered to help.
Together they searched the where the signal had last been received.
Ao's story was now shared between scientists whose countries rarely cooperated.
Borders, which mean everything to humans, mean nothing to a travelling whale.
The ocean was divided by lines that no animal could ever see.
Messages were sent across three languages and five different research centres.
Sofia met people whose kindness crossed every on the map.
"A whale whose journey unites us," she said, "may teach us to work together."
For two days, the team waited while every boat in the area was searched.
Then, far to the east, a faint new signal was finally detected.