Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises, Oh My!

The area known as the cove was filled with blood. It looked like a scene from The Ten Commandments! I just finished watching The Cove, the Academy-Award-winning documentary about a dolphin slaughter in a small fishing village in Japan. As a life-long dolphin lover, I was, of course, horrified by the images before me.

One issue brought up in the film (by the dolphin-killers) was why the secret-agent film-makers were so concerned about the slaughter of dolphins, but not other animals, such as cows. They said that they value cows, and are horrified that cows are slaughtered for food. So, why dolphins? Why whales? I’ve been drawn to these awesome creatures since I was a kid, and I fell so in love with them that I made a career out of this passion. Perhaps the reason these animals provoke such passion and protectiveness is because when you look into their eyes, they look back! Being in the presence of wild dolphins or whales makes you believe that there is a living entity inside.

As a biologist, I have learned to look at living animals on a textbook level–as a combination of cells, tissues, and organs. As a biologist, I have been trained not to anthropomorphize (not to give human characteristics to animals). I consider myself to be more practical than spiritual. I am, however, deeply moved in the presence of marine mammals. I am not, necessarily, deeply moved in the presence of cows.

One day, while I was in rehab, some friends took me to visit a marine mammal hospital to visit the rehabilitating seals and sea lions. I had been to The Marine Mammal Center many times, taking my students on field trips, taking visiting family, and just to visit. On this day, everything looked different. These animals were in rehab. I was in rehab. I watched the seals and sea lions working hard towards their goal of going home. I was also working hard to go home. I had never had this strong of a connection to a wild marine mammal. Their antics inspired me to continue along my path of working hard towards my own homecoming.

While it is difficult to put into words, we do tend to feel a connection to these grand mammals that are so similar to us, yet survive in an utterly different world. I am delighted to announce that the local, San Francisco Bay Chapter of the American Cetacean Society will be starting up again very soon. The purpose of this organization is to protect whales, dolphins and porpoises. I founded this chapter in 1999 and served as the chapter’s president until my surgery in 2006. Please see the chapter’s website (http://acs-sfbay.org/index.html). I am looking forward to watching the passion for these magnificent creatures turn into actions.