The Truth of Grief for Tahlequa

 

The entire world followed a tragic drama that unfolded off the coast of British Columbia recently. A mother Orca named Tahlequa, or J35, carried her dead calf for 17 days and about 1,700 kilometres. It was interpreted as an act of mourning and it's hard to imagine what else it could be. Researchers were concerned that Tahlequa would suffer irreparable harm by ignoring her own needs, but she has rejoined her family group and appears healthu.

This is not the first time observers have watched the grieving patterns of whales and dolphins, but it was the lengthiest and most public. We have also heard and seen elephants and wolves mourning the death of a member in a family group. 

What an important reminder that grief is a fundamental aspect of the lives of intelligent, sentient creatures. It is not the preserve of humans, who have ritualized death in a variety of ways across cultures. I am a strong believer that we need the experiences of leave-taking to acknowledge loss and I'm concerned that we seem to moving away from more traditional funerals and memorials in our society without working through what the replacements will be. 

You may notice here that I referred to this mother Orca by her name before her number, even though a number of reports do the opposite. We tend to objectify non-human creatures by numbering them, or at least by only referring to them by their research numbers. And I use the term "family group" rather than "herd" or "pod" or "pack." Scientists tell us that family connections are vital to the health of these creatures.

I suppose we can say a prayer for the spiritual recovery of Tahlequa, as well as her physical recuperation. Perhaps we would take better care of the planet and all its inhabitants if we did.