Welcome back dear readers! Thank you as always for taking the time to check out my humble blog. Today I will discuss a topic very near and dear to my heart. My favorite animal: the Orca Whale. The orca is commonly known as the "Killer Whale"; however I feel this name a dreadful misnomer in terms of humans, even in light of SeaWorld’s recent tragedy. Bear with me a moment and I'll explain why. But first may I extend my most heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends of the trainer who was killed. I feel the loss of any life to be profound indeed and I do not want my Pro-Orca stance in this case to be seen as anti-human. That said, while I feel all can agree that the loss of Ms. Brancheau's life is truly unfortunate, I seek in this case to be a voice for those who have none.
*Writer’s Note: in response to a suggestion by a reader, I have broken this rather lengthy entry into 3 more digestible pieces: Part 1: A brief look into the sad history of human/orca interaction. Part 2: A stunning glimpse at orca intelligence and social structure. Part 3: A depressing comparison of wild verses captive life for an orca, followed by my conclusion that the current practice of keeping orcas in captivity is cruel and outdated.*
From the earliest records of human/dolphin interaction (orcas are in fact the largest member of the Dolphin family, not a whale at all), orcas have been viewed with an uneasy mix of awe and fear. Even their scientific name, orcinus orca, illustrates the terror with which these animals were regarded:
"Indeed, the genus name Orcinus means ‘of or belonging to the kingdom of the dead’,[11] and although the name Orca (in use since antiquity) is probably not etymologically related, the assonance might have given some people the idea that it meant ‘whale that brings death’ or ‘demon from hell.’ The name is also similar to Orcus, a Roman god of the underworld." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale)
Perhaps it is unfair to say that all viewed the orca as a cold-blooded killer. Many indigenous cultures demonstrated a deep respect and reverence for them. They knew full well what the orca was capable of, but they saw it as simply filling the necessary role of apex predator with astounding success. Looking to the western world however the ignorance which led to the animals' persecution is clearly evidenced. As the industrialization of the fish industry took hold, complaints quickly arose about the competition and interference of Orcas with the catch. Fishermen were permitted and even encouraged by local governments to shoot any Orcas that got in their way. Even as recently as 1990 there has been evidence that such horrid and ineffectual practices are still commonplace:
"During live captures of Southern Residents in Puget Sound,
there were reports that 25% of the whales captured had what appeared to be bullet hole wounds (Hoyt 1990)." (http://nwr.nmfs.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Whales-Dolphins-Porpoise/Killer-Whales/ESA-Status/upload/srkwtm12-02.pdf)
Worse still the claims that the US and Canadian Militaries have used these magnificent animals as little more than targets:
"Olesiuk et al. (1990) and others cite Carl (1946) for evidence of bombing or strafing of killer whales in British Columbia by the Royal Canadian Air Force." and
"It is documented that the U.S. Air Force on at least one occasion, at the request of Icelandic authorities, dropped depth charges on killer whales in Icelandic waters (Vangstein 1956)," (http://nwr.nmfs.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Whales-Dolphins-Porpoise/Killer-Whales/ESA-Status/upload/srkwtm12-02.pdf)
Fortunately, around the time such atrocious practices were taking place, the species found an unwitting ambassador in an orca called Moby Doll. To the amazement of all, Moby Doll made no effort to harm the humans working with him, though he had been harpooned prior to his capture. Instead, this gentle giant allowed humans to interact with him freely, and a new era of understanding began. Unfortunately, it was the very success of Moby Doll and others like him that led to a new kind of oppression for the species...
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So I sure agree with the underlying information in this, but I got a few nits to pick. First you say the "indigenous cultures demonstrated a deep respect and reverence for them" then "Looking to the western world however the ignorance which led to the animals' persecution is clearly evidenced" werent the indigenous cultures in the west? In fact mostly they were on the west coast and Hawaii? Your statement that "It is documented that the U.S. Air Force on at least one occasion, at the request of Icelandic authorities, dropped depth charges on killer whales in Icelandic waters (Vangstein 1956)," while possible seams unlikely as the Navy is much more likely to have depth charges than the airforce, as well as the expertise to use them.
ReplyDeleteAs ever Leothegood, you pick good nits... :) Well, I thought both of your points merited clarification. Regarding the indigenous/western bit (nit?): In this context I am speaking culturally, not geographically. More interesting I think the point you raise about the Navy being more likely to have depth charges than the Air Force. I went back and double checked my source, that report from NOAA I cited. Though I was very careful to copy everything correctly I wanted to be absolutely sure. And now indeed I am. It was the Air Force, not the Navy, who dropped the charges.
ReplyDeleteOdd though it sounds, I have no reason to doubt such a reputable source. NOAA, for those unfamiliar, is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While I freely admit it is possible they made a mistake, I think it more likely that there was something going on at the time that I don't understand. Still I hope you will agree that whichever branch of the military was responsible, it was a wretched thing to do!
Anyway, thanks as always for your excellent feedback. Please keep it coming!
-NowMoreThanEver