[...] Some folks think the two humpback whales stranded in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta might be lured downstream with a ton or two of dead fish, while others say they should be led to the open sea by a squadron of trained dolphins.
Some feel the electromagnetic fields generated by tugboats could prove irresistible. One man wants to play the whales a drum solo. Another wants to communicate with them through the ectoplasm.
But whether grounded in the hard sciences, metaphysics or simple hunches, all the ideas share a common thread: deep concern for the fate of the disoriented female cetacean and her calf, now approaching their second week in the delta's murky waters. Their plight has drawn worldwide attention; phone calls and e-mails to government agencies and media outlets have numbered in the thousands.
Frances Gulland, the director of veterinary sciences for the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito and a leader in the rescue attempt, said she has been swamped with e-mails from people worried about the two humpbacks. [...]
Some readers opine that nothing is needed to move the whales save old-fashioned brain power. Benicia resident Charles Peden, a psychic and animal communicator, said he briefly connected with the whales telepathically when they first entered the delta.
"They didn't feel good," said Peden, who says he receives impressions from animals in images, words and emotions. "They were injured. I received this before the information got out that they had been struck by a ship."
Peden said he thinks the whales are confused about their location.
"There may be something wrong with their guidance systems," he said. "They may also be asking for attention, for help with their injuries."
Peden said he would like to try communicating with the whales, but added current circumstances are less than ideal.
"There are a lot of distractions for them right now," he said. "I work on a very subtle energy level, and I'd have to get close. It'd be difficult." [...]
…read it all:
Hundreds offer ideas for helping lost whales
by Glen Martin, Tom Chorneau
San Francisco Chronicle, 26 May 2007
* * *
Editor -- Leave the whales alone! When the whales first wandered into the Sacramento River, it made sense to assume they had lost their way. How could we not try to help them? But now, as I watch the mother lash her tail against the water in distress, it seems the efforts to save them are bordering on torture and arrogance. It's typical for us to think that we know what is best for the whales. But how can we possibly know why that mother brought her baby into the delta?
Furthermore, the attention and concern lobbed onto these two creatures by well-meaning citizens is misplaced. All that empathy would be better served if it were directed toward the health of their rightful habitat. Our oceans are in trouble; most people know that by now, don't they? We read about dead zones, severe overfishing, warming waters, dying coral and toxic algae blooms.
Right now, the whales are in the news. A month ago, it was the falcons trying to nest on the Bay Bridge. When wild animals enter into our day-to-day lives, we name them. We perch by our TV sets to learn about their plight. It's a bit disturbing, but there is an upside to our behavior. The crisis gains the attention of the popular media and teaches us about that species and their habitat. An upside to this whale-of-a-tale would be to highlight the health of the home that we are trying to push them back into.
We want a Hollywood ending, but we might not get it. If the whales die, it would be a shame for us to mourn only the passing of these two individual whales when we have an obligation to mourn, and to do something about, the health of their habitat. Not an easy task, I know. But, if a home were healthy, a mother wouldn't flee. She isn't the first sea mammal to beach herself in protest. Now look who's being anthropomorphic.
ALETA GEORGE
Suisun City
No comments:
Post a Comment