Can we now finally wake up and see that we are not alone? (the grief of lost babies in captivity and in freedom)

Following recent media publicity over the death of the female calf born to one of the Southern Resident orca population, Tahlequah (J35),  DFE member Viivi Senghore has written a heartfelt article on the mother/calf bond and how grief impacts cetacean mothers, both in the wild and in captivity.

‘We all know that the bond between a large-brained mammal mother and her child is one of the strongest ones there is. The recent news of a southern resident killer whale in The Pacific North West, Tahlequah also known as J35, and her dead calf has shown how a whale mourns a lost loved one. In my opinion, she has also shown us how destructive the captivity industry is to small cetaceans. A dolphin in captivity is forced to mourn her young far more frequently than in the wild. A life in captivity for a particular bottlenose dolphin called Veera is just one among countless heart-breaking stories.’

Full article here
Can we now finally wake up and see that we are not alone.docx

Images: Soundwatch & Mikka Stig

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