Posted on: Monday, August 2, 2004

ISLAND VOICES
Message of whales: trust nature

By Elsa Flores Almaraz

The death of the baby melon-headed whale in Hanalei Bay over the Fourth of July weekend is a loss and should be an awakening to all. In our misguided humanitarian efforts to save the pod from some hypothesized demise, we forced it out of a protected bay where, it turns out, a calf had been left behind.

Had the baby's body not washed up on shore the next day, it would have been assumed that the pod was without a doubt distressed and disoriented and that this was indeed a "storybook ending," as was heralded in the press.

We must consider the possibility that the pod was here to birth and was prematurely shepherded out to sea before the baby could keep up.

Many of us present intuited that the whales did not appear stressed; they huddled, frolicked and sometimes playfully tail-slapped. There was never any indication that they might beach themselves. The human pack on shore, however, did seem frenzied. The experts seemed certain that these rarely studied mammals could not survive in shallow waters. This rush to judgment is where I take issue.

Dolphins and whales are our planet's oldest and wisest inhabitants, holding ancient knowledge. Hanalei Bay may have been stored in their memory banks as a peaceful refuge. Perhaps these mammals were in complete control, possibly seeking safe harbor from RIMPAC, or gathering for a birthing.

Can we really claim bragging rights for saving the pod? Why do we think we know more than a species knows about itself?

What happened at Hanalei Bay seems like a pumped-up display of questionable scientific prowess. With an amped crowd and overzealous officials, the fateful decision was made the next morning — and mourning is what we should be doing. Had the pod been here to birth, imagine the whales' joy at welcoming the newest member of their 'ohana. Now imagine their grief. This collective grief should serve as a reminder to us all.

The whales' message is simple: Trust nature, and relinquish control. Tune into the heart with intuition, not with the reasoning mind. Let us not let the whale's death be in vain. Let the scientists record it in their research manuals. Let it give us a deeper reverence for nature's intelligence. Let us live the Hawaiian virtues of malama 'aina (care of the earth), malama ke kai (the ocean) and malama pono (each other).

Elsa Flores Almaraz is a contemporary artist, photographer, writer and public artist professionally based on Kaua'i and in Los Angeles.