I came across a very interesting poll on The Centre for Whale Research website. It asked a simple question: Should whales and dolphins be kept in captivity? Obvioulsy, pretty much everyone who reads that poll will be of the "I like whales and dolphins" persuasion. I would be surprised to even find even one person who felt contempt for cetaceans.
There were 71 votes when I wrote this, including mine. There was the predicted 88%, or 63 votes for NO, 3 votes for YES, 3 votes for SMALL ONES ONLY (which I find particularily intreguing), and a respectable 15%, or 11 votes for RESEARCH ONLY. When I voted the one and only time I have voted, I was the first in the YES category.
I understand why the people who frequent the Centre for Whale Research website would vote overwhelmingly for NO. I wonder how many have considered how much they themselves have learned from science that is currently being done at SeaWorld. I bet most of them have heard of Lolita the Orca. She lives in Miami. And the original Shamu. They both came from the waters near Friday Harbour, where the Centre for Whale Research is located.
One of the reasons that the website's populous is so fanatical about their chosen subject is because of the photos, communications, science, research, x-rays, books, DVDs, and even Hollywood movies that captive animals have provided. We are equally captivated by the controversies, and the things that we disagree most strongly with galvanize us.
I came first in contact with orcas in Victoria, BC, where there were several large orcas in a VERY TINY pool in Oak Bay. OMG!! As I think about it as an adult resident of the same city, that piece of water was pathetically small for those large beasts. I have been enamoured by whales and dolphins of all types as long as I can remember, as a result. I generally know more about the subject than the people I meet. I am happy to meet other "whale geeks". I am usually put to shame. ;)
I am of the persuasion that should lead me to vote NO to keeping cetaceans in captivity, but I have considered how much I, myself, know of any creature. I have learned pretty much all of it from something captive; be it a hollywood movie, a National Geographic special, a reference book, the internet, or a lesson from a naturalist, either in an aquarium or zoo, or in a more open setting. It is the witnessing of the topic that creates the knowledge. The knowledge is required to be able to protect it.
We have become more likely to be able to actually help an orca by having put them in cages in the first place. The first orca that was ever captured was not intended to be captured. It was intended to be KILLED. The harpoon did not kill the animal, it only stuck in it's muscle and blubber. They kept the whale alive for several weeks. Up until that moment, humans had ZERO understanding of "The Blackfish". There was no knowledge of their preferred diet, vocalizations, markings, family associations... nothing... until then! Humans suddenly had an opportunity to come within metres of a mercilessly tethered orca!!
Until then, humans also had ZERO respect for orca. It was considered that the sea teamed with them and that they created problems to fishermen and they were basically invalid sea creatures. I think that the indigenous peoples probably had a more mystical and spiritual place for the creatures, but that they also had little to no real understanding of diet, vocalizations, markings, or family associations (but that whole spur is for a different rambling). My point is that when we actually CAPTURED the orca, that became the day that we began to understand the orca. It was only by breaking that threshold that we, as a species, were granted the ability to actually help the orca... and don't forget: we broke that threshold and CAPTURE was the easy way!! We had begun the journey to KILL the orca for science.
SeaWorld is wonderful!! There are as many people in the state of California as there is in my entire country! If I think I can get a kid from Los Angeles to donate $1 to the Save the Whales Foundation, I had better be able to at least SHOW him a whale! If that has to be a photograph of Keiko, then it has to be a photo of a captive orca. I would prefer, that we, as a species, cared for the whales enough to keep them in a pen for our own purposes, so we could even begin to spread the teachings.
I do not think that the animals who live in the pens have good lives. I wish there was a way to keep them in pens and let them be happy and live long and prosper. We do not yet possess that knowledge or will. It has only been less than 50 years that we, as a species, have been collecting data that will eventually allow us to become true "stewards" for the world that we live in. Unfortunately, the only way we can cultivate that knowledge is to keep parts of the world we live in captive, so we can study the ones we want to preserve.
Humans are generally ignorant. We know only what we can experience. We have so much left to learn! Zoos and aquariums play a vital roll in the advancement of human-kind. Children are especially impressionable, but adults also need to be able to go to a place at some time and witness for themselves, the majesty of a being to become attached to it and to have a desire to learn about it. Only with easy access to creatures do we achieve knowledge of them. There are 6 billion people who NEED an education to save the planet. If the only way that 5 billion of them can ever develop any appreciation of the planet's other creatures is through video and television and entertainment, so be it. Just let them know of the creature.
When I wrote this, there was still a month worth of voting. Here is the link so that you might vote also. If you don't get to vote, you will, at least, add to the the combined interest in orca.
http://whaleresearch.blogspot.com/
-Trav
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Friday, March 10, 2006
Goodbye Luna
Today is a sad day for whale enthusiasts the planet over. Our wayward cetacean friend, Luna (L98) has left us forever. His story has been one of joy and sadness for marine biologists, tourists, residents of Gold River, and whale lovers everywhere. His life has also been one of political jockeying among government agencies, marine contractors, and aboriginal peoples. Today, the final chapter was written. I hope we can learn from the tragic events in Mooyah Bay this morning.
Luna, Tsux'itt, or L98 (whichever name you prefer) had developed a bad habit of playing with boats. He is known to rub on rudders, break off sonar nodules, and surf in the prop-wash. He was a very big fan of boats. It seemed to break the monotony of lonely fishing. He had been observed breaking off from fishing to ride along with boats for a time, then return to fishing.
I know a sailor who met Luna. He took this beautiful picture from the bridge of his ship in the Nootka Sound area. Luna was racing alongside the boat. The captain decided to slow down to let Tsux'iit keep up a bit better. This didn't seem to work for Luna and he disappeared. Shortly after resuming speed, L98 showed up again!! I guess he liked the challenge.
It was this challenge that likely led to Luna's demise. He has been seen prop-wash surfing on many occasions. He liked to get right behind a boat and stick his nose just inches from the prop and ride in the vortex of the white water churned up by the propellers. I guess it is like riding a bike as close as you can to the back of a bus. Fun but risky! Luna had a good life. He spent most of his time dining lavishly on salmon and visiting with his friends of all species. He was even reported playing a game of 'tag' with a sea lion pup about his own age. (see this link - third paragraph)
This article is written by Michael Parfit. He is a leading expert on L98 and has been very busy making valuable observations of the wayward orca's life. This article was written only 11 days before Luna's untimely death. It is Parfit's playful and sorrowful observations that grip me, and the third-to-last sentence that paralyzes me. "That will soon change." Parfit is referring to the relationship between Orca and Man. I think in this particular instance, the author was referring to the relationship between one particular whale and the regional population of man. I think however, that Luna or Tsux'iit, should stand for much more than one whale's struggle.
A poplulation of experts, government agencies, conservation groups, and other interested parties has been crying out for assistance to be given to Luna (and their cries have become more and more frequent and louder and louder). The young orca needed our help to survive and we did not provide it!! We knew the dangers! Our respected population has said all along that Luna's affection for people and requirement for sociallization would lead to disaster. Many predicted this very end for our friend.
L98's final moments were spent with his head only inches from the propellor of a tugboat. This one was much larger than most of the props he liked to play with. This prop was from a 100 foot, 2700 tonne tugboat named General Jackson. The boat had come into the shelter of Mooyah Bay near Nootka Sound in high winds and rough seas. It was idling close to shore when the curious and bored young orca came to visit.
I don't need to say much more, as we know Luna spent his last moments close to the fast-moving propulsion system for this massive boat. I need only to say that it was a very fast death. In fact, Luna may still wonder what happened. The intelligent and boat-saavy orca miscalculated. It is a true tradgedy. The skipper of the vessel is very sad and no one person is to blame.
The only blame goes on the human animal itself. We let this happen!!! We call them experts. We call them scientists. We did not listen to our own intelligence! We knew what had to be done to avoid this very ending! We did not listen to ourselves.
Prevention would lie in keeping Luna out of the way of boats. He was just a youthful whale. This could have been quite easy: otherwise occupy him. The best way to do that is to give him some company. There have been many plans and many offers to scoop him up and return him to his family. Actually, there is a large community of people from all over the world who keep tabs on him and put money toward his cause. There is a number of websites which focus on this topic. REUNITELUNA.com is one such site.
I hope the flame which fuelled the fire to protect Luna can now be used to fuel a much larger fire. I hope the untimely and irresponsible death of an icon can stoke a new fire to protect all marine wildlife more vigilantly, especially the top predator, the mighty BlackFish!
We as humans have the responsiblity to protect our environment and the things we care about. When we KNOW what to do and our collective consciousness shows us what to do, we must DO IT!! We must not sit back and watch as the inevidable happens! We must act!
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