ORCAS AND CAPTIVITY - HUMANITY???

                                                ORCAS AND CAPTIVITY

NOTE, OCT. TENTH 2018.

 MY MEMORY IS A LITTLE SUSPECT ABOUT THE EXACT TIME OF THE FOLLOWING EVENTS. ORIGINALLY WRITTEN ABOUT 7 YEARS AGO.



I am at this time ( oct. 10/2018 ) trying  to determine a more accurate time] 

Evidently a fishing family - possibly the Reids, were very active in the capture and arranging the transport of these animals to aquariums in California, via truck and plane, using cranes and slings. Need more Research!  Jason Colby



      THE FOLLOWING IS AN ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF WHAT                                                                                         TOOK PLACE


It was a beautiful late spring or early summer between 1964 and 1968.

 As Dave and I Pulled into the parking lot of the Vancouver Air Traffic Control Centre one of the controllers leaned out of the second story window, (this was before all government buildings were hermetically sealed) and shouted.

 “Get your butts moving, we want to get home". 

The two of us strolled in rather leisurely. 

Eight controllers flew out the door.

We were coming in on midnight shift, and the evening shift was anxious to get out into the fresh evening air. While the two of us were getting settled I noticed every window on our floor was open to get some breeze through the old building.

About an hour after arriving, Dave and I heard a baby crying outside the open windows. We both had Babies at home, so were very familiar with the sound and did not really pay that much attention initially.  The crying ceased after several minutes, so we assumed the family had either left or taken care of the child.

About 30 minutes passed; we were busy with the air traffic and didn't give the baby crying another thought.  Suddenly those pitiful cries from outside the building began again.  When I had a free moment I went over to the window and had a look into the pitch-black parking area (no lighting then either).  Poking my head out the window it seemed like the sound may be coming from around the east side, by the small post office building. I went to a window on that side and looked out, yes the pitiful cries were definitely louder on this side. As I peered out trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness I noticed one of those large Smithrite garbage bins. It was almost directly beneath the window, I had a little twinge of fear that maybe the baby had been thrown into the bin. However, at just that moment, the crying stopped again, and I went back to help Dave.

 We discussed the mystery of the crying baby for a few minutes, wondering why its parents were outside our building at 2 o'clock in the morning.  However, we had things to do, so this little episode was forgotten and we continued on with our regular routine.

About an hour later, suddenly the baby's cries, louder and even more pitiful than before, drifted in the open window. By this time, the Air Traffic had died down and I decided to go out and find the baby.  Neither of us could stand the thought of some poor little thing abandoned or otherwise in trouble, outside our window.  I went out to find it while Dave held down the fort.

When I entered the dark parking lot the cries were loud and definitely came from around the building toward the large Smithrite trash bin. As I neared the large steal container my heart began to thump, as I was sure, I would find an abandoned baby in the trash. I started to climb up the side of the bin when it became obvious that the sound was not from within the bin but behind it.

About 10 feet behind the container was a little post office.  A small light bulb connected to the wall with a bare piece of conduit about 20 feet up the wall glowed with a puny light.  Another 10 feet behind it in the gloom I could make out some strange shapes, and the baby's cries were definitely coming from them.

As I approached these shapes, I was astonished to see that they were three killer whales, each in a sling hanging from some sort of crane. On one side was the mother, next the baby, still crying loudly, and the father on the other side, all touching each other in their slings.  This baby's cries sounded exactly as a human baby, I could not have told the difference, and at that time of my life I considered myself somewhat an expert in crying babies.

I have often wondered if any of the loving and compassionate "experts" at the Vancouver aquarium have heard this same heart wrenching sound from one of their new born Orcas before it died.  I would venture a guess that if they haven't heard this sound; these "experts" would never believe what I am relating.  However, this of course has no bearing on the facts, it happened, period.

I went to within a few inches of their heads, and looked into their large intelligent eyes, and it was then that I could clearly hear both parents cooing and comforting the baby with strange sounds.  When they “Spoke” to the baby it would reduce or stop its crying for a  short period. Then again very quietly at first then louder until the parents once again would try to console their child.  One could not mistake the anguish of these two parents not being able to help their young child.  The sadness I could see and actually feel emitting from these beautiful animals has stayed with me all these 30 something years.

At the time I had recently read " The rise and fall of the third Reich", in it there is a scene describing a young Jewish family standing on the edge of a open trench about to be shot by German soldiers. The parents are holding this lovely little girl between them. The girl is crying and the mother and Father are trying to comfort her.  This image flashed into my mind as I also spoke encouragement to the baby.  This may sound sensationalist or maudlin to some, however this is merely the facts.

A young man about 18 came up with a few ragged blankets and two buckets of water.  He threw the blankets over the whales as best he could, and splashed the water on them. Tears were slowly running down his cheeks, and he was beside himself with worry about the whales.  He had been hired to watch them until they were loaded onto the airplane for delivery to an aquarium in California.  Unfortunately, they couldn't get them on a cargo DC6.  They had sent for a CL44 aircraft, which was a variant of the Bristol Britannia with a swing tail that opened the entire rear of the aircraft to allow for long objects, it was supposed to arrive within a few hours. 

" The whales should have been in their new home by now ", he said with anguish.  This young man then pointed to the trouble the whales were having breathing, and the obvious fact they were drying out and getting to hot.

There was no one from the aquarium to give any advice or help of any kind. This poor young man felt responsible for the lives in his charge, but had little in the way of resources or expertise to make any impact on the plight of these animals. It made me wonder where all the high paid  "concerned" staff was.

I had to get back to work so I patted each animal in turn and told them they would soon be on their way to their new home and everything would be OK. The parents looked into my eyes with their beautiful large eyes, I could sense, no sense isn’t a strong enough word, I could feel in my soul their love and sorrow for their child.

Our shift ended about 4 hours later at 7 o'clock, the sun was up and the temperature had increased considerably.  I went to see how the whales were doing before going home. The three whales were all alone, and were very quiet, their eyes were dull and they made no response when I spoke a few words to them.  I was totally exhausted having not slept for over 24 hours but as Dave drove home the images of these sad majestic animals in their misery kept repeating in my mind.

I slept poorly in the heat and awoke about 2 PM, just in time to hear the 2 0clock news. At the end of the broadcast there was a short mention that three Killer whales had died at Vancouver International Airport.

Lately there has once again been discussion in the media of the merits of keeping Orcas in captivity. This interest was provoked this time by the announcement that the loving and concerned management of the Vancouver aquarium wants to sell/exchange the male killer whale.  They want to take the females long time mate away from her.  This act is portrayed as a loving gesture toward the female, ensuring she will not have the stress of a birth in captivity, accompanied usually by the death of the calf within a few months.

This of course was trigged by the death of her last calf and the outcry from a large segment of the population to release the killer whales. 

It is not in the interests of an aquarium to get rid of its star attraction.  If one wants to keep killer whales in captivity one has to appease what is the latest outcry from the public, i.e. birth in captivity of Killer Whales.

One solution of course is to keep only whales of one sex, or keep whales of different sex segregated. To take away, or segregate a lifelong (or at least a life in captivity long) friend and mate, is in my opinion giving no real concern for either of these loving and intelligent animals.  It is obvious to me that the typical " loving and compassionate " curator, or aquarium executive, will under no circumstances consider letting these poor unfortunate creatures go free.

Do not give freedom a chance.

There is a very real possibility the whales may make it in the wild. 

This is particularly true if an honest effort was made to place these whales with a pod of Orcas on the West Coast. Even more logically, take these from the Vancouver aquarium back to Iceland, where I believe their home pods originated.  The loving aquarium management would never consider taking them back to their home pods, they most certainly would claim it would cost too much.

It is true it does cost too much.  Too much to wrench these majestic animals from their home waters and their family pods in the first place. It never fails to amaze me how we humans can always find the money, time, and energy to inflict pain and suffering on each other and the animal kingdom. However we find it so terribly difficult to find 10% of the money, energy, and time to actually help those we have damaged. 

No, I hold out no hope that the loving aquarium management will ever release these unfortunate animals.

 Consider the ramifications, if they did thrive after release.

 The carefully nurtured myth that Orcas once in captivity cannot return to the wild would be completely blown out of the water.  Just imagine the pressure on other aquariums around the world to release their captives.

 

No, aquariums worldwide must stick to their guns.

It is much better for a group of one of the most majestic animals on earth to rot away and die in captivity, than have a chance to live or die in freedom.