Few creatures are as mysterious and captivating as the whale. Few connect with us so emotionally and spiritually. After hunting whales for generations, we have brought their widespread slaughter to an end, but these graceful giants still face threats on a number of fronts, and the battle to save them goes on.

The film takes an intimate look at four types of whales: pilots, humpbacks, bowheads and orcas, through the eyes of the humans who are closest to them. From the struggle to save a pod of pilot whales in the Florida Keys to the groundbreaking work of a scientist risking life and limb in the Arctic to the controversy over military sonar, the Special takes us to the front lines of whale conservation.

• Approximately 60 minutes
• Bonus: National Geographic's Crittercam: Pilot Whales
• © 2006
• Not available for shipment outside of the U.S. and Canada
• Watch the Preview
  (Requires Windows Media Player 6.4 or higher)