...this post begins with an unusual image...and morphs into talking about the closeness of the Southern Resident Endangered orcas...
and a bit of information about the request for tagging of these whales - ugh!
...reviewing pictures from last season I came across this image...
...what are we seeing here?...all the same whale or more than one?...what does it look like to you?...
...ah-ha - someone's tail flukes...
...and if you look back at the first picture you'll see there is another whale there... ...that got me thinking about the closeness of these whales...how they travel, play, forage, rest and socialize together......most often we humans only see what's going on above the surface and rarely, except for those great news helicopters in Seattle, do we get a look at how they are, in their world, below the surface...here's a link to KOMO 4 News video taken in Puget Sound in early January (you may have seen it)...it's slow to load but so worth the wait...
They're called the humans of the sea...
...people who are familiar with these whales know they are families and not just a bunch of whales in the water...
...they stay with their families their entire lives...
...they are playful...
...they help one another in many ways...
...they readjust their families to welcome in a whale who has lost their family members...
...the older females are babysitters...mostly referred to as post-reproductive females, these 'auntie' whales are of utmost importance to the health of this population. Many babies to raise and many auntie whales needed to help the moms as these young whales grow and learn.
...lots of 'whale hugs' of many variations...and a lot that involves their dorsal fins...
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...Ophelia L-27 is considered to be a post reproductive female...she has outlived all of her offspring, she can be found helping out with her sisters' kids and even her niece's first baby- L-116...
...right now in this family group, known as the L4s, there are 6 kids...Lapis L-103 the oldest at 9 years, Pooka L-106 will be 7 this year...Takoda L-109 will be 5 this year and the three little guys are Sooke L-112, Finn L-116 and 1 year old (apx) baby L-118...
...I have been fortunate to see Ophelia many times 'tending' to the little guys...
...the boys...well, even the adult males (some researchers attach the age of 15 for an adult male) but over the last 35 years of study by researchers, who see and observe these whales on a more regular basis, have drawn the conclusion that they are more likely considered adults, by the whales in the community, when they reach the age of about 20...
...often the males are seen playing around...how close they are!
...the one male's fluke is casting a shadow on another male's dorsal fin...
...see their closeness...that's a male's tail wrapping around the other male...
...this is Mike J-26 gently laying his dorsal fin on Canuck's L-7 back and sliding it over her...
...click here to see the post from that day July 1, 2010... and more photos of him and Canuck......those are just a few examples of the closeness of these whales, from what we humans would translate as tender moments to others of wild romping...
...and then I came across this image of Ruffles and Granny...
corrections made below: 2/14/12 slogging through the permit text is a pain, but here's what's come to light...the permit that will expire in 2016 has NOT YET BEEN APPROVED...in my opinion, no one likes to think of these whales being harmed, and now that the Federal government is considering granting a permit for satellite tagging to be done to 9 of these Endangered orcas, potentially each year for the next 5 years, using the means of a cross bow or an air gun, to gather information that most likely will not benefit the orcas, is frustrating at the least...AND they are requesting an increase from 20 suction cup tags to 30...
AND that up to nine whales may receive both.
and Northern Residents too and there's a separate count list for them.
...this type of action, being done purposely by humans to these whales, brings up many questions.
...tax dollars being spent in this manner also brings up many questions.
...what questions might it bring up for you?
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1 comments:
I really dislike invasive research, especially when there are alternative ways of collecting the data. Don't these whales have to surface to breathe? Is the sea too choppy to conduct observations in the winter? Why can't the suction cup tags be used in the winter? I find it disturbing that someone who has researched the whales for years would want to shoot a harpoon-like object into their skin. And why anyone would want to risk the special relationship between these whales and the humans who are on the water. I hate the idea that they will be frightened and stressed by a human. I'm a scientist, but I can see no justification for this. I think there is a good reason to "follow the money" in this instance. Was this the only grant money available? Is someone's ego involved? Because I don't think it will benefit the whales either, especially not worth the risk to an endangered species with fewer than 100 individuals left. It boggles my mind. If this were proposed for an endangered land mammal--chasing, harpooning--I really don't think it would fly. And ugly. It's just an ugly business all around. Why is this being allowed on such an endangered animal and what sort of results are expected? How will management be changed to benefit them based on the results? Someone should dig deeper into the money trail.
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