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September 8, 2026
For more than two decades, the Whale Interpretive Centre has been one of the most beloved places in Telegraph Cove. It is the kind of museum that perfectly belongs in this small community on the edge of Johnstone Strait, where learning about whales and other marine mammals feels particularly meaningful when those same animals may be swimming just beyond the boardwalk.
On December 31, 2024, that changed dramatically. The devastating Telegraph Cove fire destroyed the Whale Interpretive Centre, along with its extraordinary collection of marine mammal skeletons, educational displays, artifacts, and decades of history. What followed, however, has been an incredible story of determination and community support that we have been so happy to see come from this!
About the Whale Interpretive Centre
The Whale Interpretive Centre opened in Telegraph Cove in 2002 and is operated by the Johnstone Strait Killer Whale Interpretive Centre Society, a registered charitable society. We have supported the WIC for years, and recommend to all our guests in Telegraph Cove to visit their exhibit!
Its purpose has always gone far beyond displaying whale skeletons. The Centre was created to increase public understanding of marine mammal biology, conservation, and the threats these animals face. Over the years, it welcomed thousands of visitors and became an important educational complement to experiencing whales in the wild around northern Vancouver Island. Before the fire, the Centre housed one of British Columbia’s most significant collections of marine mammal skeletons. The collection included killer whales, dolphins, porpoises, baleen whales, and other marine mammals, giving visitors the rare opportunity to stand beneath these animals and appreciate their anatomy and incredible scale. A collection like this cannot simply be replaced. Many of the specimens carried their own histories and had become part of the story of marine research and education on northern Vancouver Island.
The New Collection
Following an extraordinary rebuilding effort throughout Telegraph Cove, the new Whale Interpretive Centre opened its doors to the public on August 1, 2026. While work on the interior and exhibits continues, having the Centre physically back on the boardwalk represents an enormous milestone.
Fortunately, three skeletons were away from the Centre when the fire occurred: a Dall’s porpoise, a Risso’s dolphin, and the only pygmy sperm whale ever recorded in British Columbia. Those survivors would eventually become part of the foundation for something new!
We were overjoyed to see the killer whale exhibit Orcas: Our Shared Future, which we sponsored through the Royal BC Museum, find a new home at the rebuilt Whale Interpretive Centre in Telegraph Cove. Seeing this exhibit arrive in the Cove felt incredibly meaningful. We were proud to support it during its time in Victoria, but seeing it become part of the Whale Interpretive Centre’s new chapter is a true full-circle moment for us. Telegraph Cove has always been deeply connected to killer whales, research, education, and conservation, and we could not imagine a more fitting home for the exhibit!
