Thursday, February 16, 2012

2-16-12 Sooke L-112


Thursday, February 16

(link here for a radio broadcast regarding the sonar incident)



Sooke L-112
Female
January 2009 - February 2012
 
She is the second offspring of Surprise! L-86.
She was full of energy.
We got a chance to know her.

She and Pooka were very playful.
 With her mother.

With family and pod mates.
She and her brother could really make you laugh.
We last saw her on October 21, 2011.


It's not known how she died.
It may take a while to find out.

An answer may never be revealed.

It's so very sad to have lost her from this fragile Community.
She was one of only two females born in L pod between 2003 and 2009.


She carried the great responsibility
of bringing offspring of her own into this world one day.


Her death has changed her role.
She will now be a teacher.
To educate researchers and scientists,
and 'whale huggers' young and old.

 
Usually when a whale is lost from the
Southern Resident Community there is time to prepare.
Why?
Usually, at first, a whale is not seen during an encounter.
Then, during the next encounter, all eyes are looking for that whale.
After several encounters of not being seen
a whale may be listed by CWR as missing.


In the winter L pod is not commonly seen in the inland waters.
Sometimes L pod shows up off Monterey Bay, California.
It is standard to wait until spring for L pod's return.
It is then we look for the presence of every member.
Sometimes it takes weeks to locate each member.
Sometimes only a few days.


It's not known how Sooke died.
There are enough scenarios to keep one awake at night.
But wait we must, for the test results.

The Whale Museum has announced that
Sooke's skeleton will come to reside at The Whale Museum.
link here and scroll down on their home page.
 
As the whales give us the opportunity to see them again,
we each will have changed from this significant event.
I only hope that her death will not have been for naught.

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