It took it's last breath around 6:15 am.
My sister-in-law owns a salon on that beach, and she was there throughout the day, observing this heartbreaking spectacle. She said that a group First Nations formed a drum circle around the whale around 9:30. People laid flowers on it's head, and there were many tears shed for this poor creature.
A giant tangle of nylon fishing line laid next to it's body. People, desperate to help, removed the lines from it's body and mouth. The vet from the Vancouver Aquarium estimated that the baby whale had been tangled in the line 2-3 months ago, and had been starving ever since.
“I think it’s the worst humpback I’ve ever seen” Barrett-Lennard, Head of Vancouver Aquarium's Dolphin and Whale Research Program. [full article here]
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| TANGLE OF FISHING LINE THAT HAD THIS BABY HUMPBACK WHALE IMPRISONED FOR THE PAST 3 MONTHS. (PHOTO TAKEN BY STEPHANIE MARTENS-WRIGHT)
I came home from work last night and collapsed into a bucket of tears as I took in the photos. It was one of those nights where I could feel that God had been leading up to this stirring I can't shake.
One of my last tables of the night was an elderly couple who reflected on that morning's sad story with me. We came to the topic of man's part in all of this, and how we must be accountable for the things we do/buy/support. The lady shared her mother's central belief,
"We've gotta pay rent for our time here"- meaning that we all need to find some way of helping. This world isn't ours to exploit. We each need to find some way to contribute (be it social justice, animal rights, environmentalism etc.). She also shared her favourite quote:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
-Margaret Mead [here] |
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| FLOWERS LAID ON HEAD DURING THE DRUM CIRCLE CEREMONY (PHOTO CREDIT: STEPHANIE MARTENS-WRIGHT) |
I came home, after that conversation, and looked through the messages on my phone. My sister-in-law sent me a video of the Hovercraft taking the baby whale out to be with it's pod. What followed was a text message conversation between Scotty and her about how the whale's pod was still out in the bay yesterday evening- looking for the calf, and experts were worried that they might beach themselves.
My eyes filled with tears at the thought, and then I came across the photo below- taken by a a friend- and I completely lost it.
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| ALONE. (PHOTO CREDIT: JENNA-RAE WARNE) |
The silence of the image. It speaks so loudly and completely breaks my heart. For me, personally, it feels like a calling- that my rent be fighting for creatures such as this who succumb to such painful and senseless deaths due to man's carelessness.
Enbridge intends to build a pipeline running from Alberta through northern BC where oil (dirty tar sands) will be shipped to BC's currently wild Northern coast to be loaded onto giant tankers and transported to China. While people are quick to point out the financial gains for such a project, I can't help but think of the costs to the beings who inhabit our oceans, our forests, our rivers. Money is not the only factor. We can't afford to discount the environmental impacts.
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| (PHOTO CREDIT: JENNA-RAE WARNE) |
The whale could have washed up on some remote beach along our coast, but it beached itself on one of the lower mainland's busiest beaches. Scotty pointed it out that is almost seems that the whale went towards a beach where there were people- so that it's death would lay heavy on the hearts of us city dwellers who can be so far removed from our natural environment and the costs of our everyday actions.
We all could be more intentional, more accountable. I hope that I don't lose sight of this.
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| LAYING THE BABY TO REST (PHOTO CREDIT: STEPHANIE MARTENS-WRIGHT) |
Oh Chels... I'm right there with you. I think you made a good point on a lot of things, but particularly the "rent" idea really resonates. Collectively, humans take this planet far too much for granted and the impact on whales and marine life in particular has always been heartbreaking for me personally. The pipeline project is just another vicious nail in the proverbial coffin.
ReplyDelete@keira-anne, Blessings. I think there are many of us who don't want our wildlife threatened by oil. Now's the time to fight. I think the lie is that our hands are tied, that the pipeline will go through- proponents want apathy from us, but I think we need to discover our voices. I might be calling on you once I figure out some ways we can stand up against this. Thank you for doing your part.
ReplyDeleteI cried when I read this and saw the photos. What are we doing to God's creation? Some day we will be held accountable for how we care for what He has created for us. How can humans be so blinded by $. We do indeed need to help protect and care for the creatures that have no voice before it is too late.
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