Whale centre in Telegraph Cove, B.C., receiving skeletons from everywhere to rebuild after major fire
Mary Borrowman says she’ll never forget the moment she and her husband, Jim, watched the northern lights shimmer across the sky on the morning of Jan. 1, 2025, from their home in Telegraph Cove, B.C.
“When we looked out our window, and we looked over the water, everywhere you could see in the sky were the most beautiful dancing red and green, and purple northern lights that we have ever seen,” said Borrowman.
A day earlier, a massive New Year’s Eve fire in the quaint tourist resort on northeastern Vancouver Island had destroyed the Whale Interpretive Centre that she and her husband founded.
The blaze also razed the local pub and restaurant, and the office of the Prince of Whales whale-watching firm.
The whale museum in Telegraph Cove, B.C., is seen in October 2022. The building was destroyed in the blaze and lost its prized collection. (Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier/Radio-Canada)
“I said to Jim, if that’s not a sign from above that we’re meant to carry on, then I don’t know what is,” said Borrowman, 73, recalling the aurora flickering above.
The couple have lived for decades in the colourful cove, where green and red houses sit on the boardwalks that jut into the water.
They began the Whale Interpretive Centre in 2002 and amassed the largest public collection of marine mammal skeletons in B.C., including a prized 20-metre-long fin whale that hung from the rafters as if swimming above visitors.
An adult male killer whale, measuring nearly eight metres and weighing more than six tonnes, was found dead near Port Hardy in 2009. Eventually, its skeleton was hung in the Whale Interpretive Centre in Telegraph Cove, but it was lost in the fire. (Submitted by Whale Interpretive Centre)
Almost all of the exhibits were lost in the fire. The bones of a pygmy sperm whale and two dolphins had been out on loan in nearby Port Hardy.
When word spread that they were rebuilding the centre, skeletons starting popping up everywhere.
Borrowman said their team has received offers and donations of skeletons from across the country.
The museum was notified of the death of a whale in May that washed ashore in nearby Port McNeill. It was identified as a young Bryde’s whale, in the first recording of the species in B.C. waters.
LISTEN | What burned and didn’t burn in Telegraph Cove:
This is Vancouver Island8:46A look at what did – and didn’t – burn at Telegraph Cove
News broke on New Year’s Eve that the historic boardwalk and buildings at Telegraph Cove, on the north island, were burning. The photos were dramatic, and made it easy to assume the village was gone. But the people there want you to know: it didn’t all burn! On this episode, we hear about what was lost, what remains, and what the future holds for Telegraph Cove.
The Namgis First Nation gifted the body to the centre, and it’s now under the care of Cetacea Contracting on Salt Spring Island, a company that specializes in cleaning and rebuilding the bones of marine mammals.
Mike deRoos, president of Cetacea Contracting, said he put together a small crew of volunteers to help recover the skeleton.
They packed up everything into a trailer and brought it south to Salt Spring Island, where they began the cleansing process by cutting away as much of the flesh as possible. Then they recruited blackfly larvae to eat the remaining flesh from the bones, he said.
“And it’s a good thing we don’t have neighbours close by, because it was pretty smelly too, you can imagine,” said deRoos.
It has been a labour-intensive process, said deRoos, but the time and effort have been worthwhile.
“Telegraph [Cove] is a very special place for Vancouver Island, and it’s really important for people to give it as much support as possible through the rebuilding process,” said deRoos.
LISTEN | Why the whale museum felt like home:
As It Happens8:07Whale museum destroyed in fire felt like ‘home’ to Vancouver Island woman
When a New Year’s Eve fire ripped through a historic boardwalk in the village of Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island, it destroyed the Whale Interpretive Centre, a museum that housed a collection of marine mammal specimens, including a 20-metre fin whale skeleton. Not only did Emily Gatto once work at the centre, she met her husband and got married there. She spoke to As It Happens guest host Stephanie Skenderis.
Pearson College in Victoria gave the centre a skeleton of a mature male stellar sea lion.
Dave Duffus from the University of Victoria’s whale lab gave them a Baird’s beaked whale skull, sea lion skulls, baleen, and mandibles from a juvenile sperm whale.
“The support was amazing, and the kind words from people, and not only financially, but every week, something really positive happens,” said Borrowman.
The museum has raised over a quarter of their $1 million fundraising goal so far.
A goal of May 1, 2026, has been set for the reopening of the museum and the rest of Telegraph Cove.
Thriving tourism hub
Resort owner and founder Gordie Graham, 80, spent decades turning Telegraph Cove into a thriving ecotourism hub.
He milled lumber for the project himself, transforming the tiny community that was once home to a sawmill and salmon cannery.
But he said he and his wife, Marilyn, could only sit and watch as the fire raged in the early hours of Dec. 31, 2024.
Some of the things lost were more than 100 years old, including original blueprints for the boardwalk and an old motor that was used to keep the village’s power plant running before B.C. Hydro came in 1958 with its power lines, said Graham.
WATCH | Historic pier, whaling museum destroyed on New Year’s Eve fire in 2024:
Fire destroys historic pier, whaling museum on Vancouver Island
An investigation has been launched after a large fire in Vancouver Island’s Telegraph Cove destroyed a historic boardwalk and multiple buildings, including a local pub, a whale-watching office and a whaling museum that hosted a large collection of whale skeletons.
They had no idea what would happen after the fire, he said, but support from the public came in a flood, making it easier for them to deal with so much loss.
“From the morning that the fire happened, from then on, it’s been unbelievable,” said Graham.
“Telegraph Cove seems to be a very important place to a lot of people, and even though there’s only half a dozen people living here, a lot of people have great memories of holidays, whales, bears, and fishing,” said Graham.
The boardwalk at Telegraph Cove is seen in October 2022. It drew tourists from all over the world. (Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier/Radio-Canada)
It took two months to remove the debris and clean the remaining structures, before the arrival of a crane and barge, a “beautiful sight” in the rebuilding process, he said.
Although it’s difficult to restore everything to its original form, Graham said it’s important that buildings in the town retain the same esthetic as before.
“You come here, there’s something about it, and it is a magical place. And I’m not exactly sure why,” he said.
“We’re planning on being open on the first of May,” said Graham. “We’re confident we’re going to have it done.”
The fire at Telegraph Cove affected numerous businesses, according to the local fire chief. (Submitted by Roy Preshaw)
Borrowman said her New Year’s wish is that the rebuilding will continue.
“We’re looking forward to 2026 and kind of leaving the fire behind, and we’re optimistically hopeful for the future,” she said.
The cabins, buildings, and the town will look the same, “with the same flavour,” said Borrowman.
Buildings are pictured in Telegraph Cove in October 2022. The colourful buildings are set to make a return in 2026. (Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier/Radio-Canada)
