Thank you Native Daily Network for this powerful article! Please read and take ACTION to Save Our Southern Resident Orcas. Petitions to sign and phone calls to make are listed below the article. Tahlequah and her family need all of us to Act Now!
Native Daily Network - August 4, 2018 http://www.nativedailynetwork.com/2018/08/tahlequah-we-are-so-sorry/
"TAHLEQUAH, WE ARE SO SORRY
Tahlequah is a life giver. She is a mother. She is grieving heavily after her baby died just a few minutes after she gave birth 10 days ago. Since that loss, Tahlequah – an Orca who is also known as J-35 – has been carrying her child with her. Tahlequah and her pod are currently traveling north through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which connects the Puget Sound to the Strait of Georgia. The Strait is also crossed by the international boundary between the U.S. and Canada.
J POD IN DISTRESS
Tahlequah is part of the Southern Resident Killer Whales, who are listed as endangered in both the U.S. and Canada. This clan is made up of 75 Orca divided into 3 pods – J(23), K(18) and L(34.) That figure marks a decline in their population by 23 in the past two decades – over 20%. To add to the concern, the now dead calf was the first that was born alive in the clan within the last 3 years.
Their diet is 97% Salmon and it is believed that the decline in the number of fish is one of the driving factors challenging the health of these Orca. Pollution is another big worry with the Northwest Orca among the most contaminated marine mammals in the world. To add insult to injury, human activity on and in the water is also having a negative impact. Marine noise is interrupting the echolocation that the Orca use to hunt.
The fish decline has been in sharp focus this week due to another member of this ailing pod. J50 is emaciated. So poor is her condition that the back of the 4-year-old Orca’s cranium is visible. There are also worries that a white patch on the back of her head may be an infection. A rescue effort is underway for J50 but there is a fear that she may only have a couple of days left. The efforts involve feeding her live Chinook Salmon – her regular diet – to both nourish and hydrate her.
The Pod also took a huge hit in 2016 with the loss of their matriarch. J2 – known as Granny – thought to be the oldest known Orca in the world, with some estimates putting her at 105 years old had run the Pod for many years.
BLACKFISH
Orca are smart, each group having their own distinct dialects. They are self-aware, being able to recognize themselves in a mirror. The Orca is even known to work together with humans, although the natives of the Salish Sea have known this all along.
There is a sacred relationship between the coastal indigenous and the ‘Blackfish’. All of those indigenous tales of the blackfish acknowledge that relationship That the Orca communicate with us is of little doubt to experienced tribal fisherman and whale watchers.
That relationship is a driving force behind the Lummi Nation’s endeavors to bring Tokitae home. She is another blackfish who was stolen from the L pod 47 years ago. Back then 45 of this clans children were kidnapped and sold to marine parks for entertainment. Destined to live their lives in small chlorinated pools.
Tokitae is the last of that stolen generation still alive. Her mother, L25 – or Ocean Sun – is 83 years old and there are hopes that mother and daughter can swim together again.
The Lummi word for Orca is ‘qwe lhol mechen’, which means the people/relative under the sea. There is a First Nations belief that humans who drown at sea become Orca and some tribes believe that chiefs can reincarnate as one. Tlingit stories tell of a powerful deadly force of nature that terrifies every creature except man, who she/he is said to look after.
What is clear today is that it is our time to look after the Orca – or at least stop hurting her. It is our time to listen.
MESSAGE AND HEARTBREAK
Orca are known to grieve when they lose a pod member but what is happening with Tahlequah is incredibly unusual. Fellow members of the Pod have started to help the mother by taking shifts holding her baby. It’s a heartbreaking sight.
For some, this is a family in mourning and their privacy should be respected. One person told us that ‘we’ve done enough damage’. Others think that the pod may be taking the baby to a specific place to lay it to rest.
Many, though, believe that Tahlequah and her family are sending us a message. This idea seemed to resonate most strongly with the women we spoke to. We were told that, as fellow live givers, they understood the message being conveyed clearly. ‘They are showing us what is happening to them.’ we were told. ‘They are crying out for help.’ ‘They are showing us that this is what is going to happen to us.’ ‘Mother to Mother, we understand’ they said. The women need to come together to help find the solution here.’
DISTURBING SIGNS
Whatever your opinion, we can all agree that this is a tragic and heart-wrenching event. Tahlequah’s journey of sorrow presents as a very disturbing sign for the health of the area’s waterways. The proliferation of pollutants from heavy industries, sewage and storm runoff presents a huge challenge to the ecosystem here. These are exasperated by the destruction of or obstruction to salmon spawning grounds. The salmon get smaller and in fewer number every year. Some species, we’ve heard, could be gone in as little as four years.
The local tribal people lived with and beside the salmon for many millennia. They all flourished. It is time for people to accept immediate change to save all of our relatives. We must find ways to lessen our impact and to restore lost habitats. We must do this not just for the fish but those that rely on eating the fish as a food source. Human and Blackish alike."
SIGN THE PETITIONS:
Oceana - Protecting the Worlds Oceans: Save Southern Resident Orcas From Extinction!: https://bit.ly/2Ax48mF
Change.org: Southern Resident Orcas are Starving. Time is running out!: https://bit.ly/2OM4gSw
Raincoast Conservation Foundation: Save the Whales: Emergency Order Needed Now: https://www.raincoast.org/killer-whales/
PHONE CALLS TO MAKE:
Governor, Jay Inslee (360-902-4111)
Derek Kilmer (253-272-3515)
Kevin Ranker (360-786-7678), and
Maria Cantwell (253-572-2281) and ask them to:
1. Place an IMMEDIATE ban on ALL commercial Chinook fishing.
2. Take immediate action to remove the lower Snake River dams.
3. Pressure British Columbia officials to remove their toxic fish farms, which are currently devastating wild salmon populations.
4. Take bold action to spread public awareness and engage the hearts of our citizens. When you give speeches and public statements, please clearly state that our orcas are literally starving to death. Be clear that we must take IMMEDIATE action to protect and restore their food, wild Chinook salmon. Ask your constituents to mobilize in support of this.
LEARN MORE:
King 5 News: Concerns for Southern Resident Orcas: https://kng5.tv/2nalXP1
Governor Inslee Speak Out about Orca Emergency: https://bit.ly/2AK2Uop
New York Times: "The Orca, Her Dead Calf, and Us": https://nyti.ms/2vmpkql
New York Times: "Orcas of the Pacific Northwest Are Starving and Disappearing" - https://nyti.ms/2zxPLxY
NOAA Fisheries: "Spotlight on Resident Southern Orca" - https://bit.ly/2JhoH5B
Raincoast Conservation Foundation: "A Killer Whale Emergency": https://vimeo.com/255857963