Notable Animals: Ethelbert the Wayward Orca
Somewhere along the way, Ethelbert became confused. Maybe he was with his pod when suddenly he was distracted. Maybe by the way the water diffused sunlight was making a shell on the bottom of the sea glisten, or the way the kelp swayed so peacefully in the shifting currents, or the sound of a distant ship vibrating the water, or the smell of a creature being killed miles and miles away. Once separated from his pod, Ethelbert may not have had the sense of direction, the instinct for where to go, that other orca's have. Somehow, the baffled orca found himself 100 miles up sea in the Columbia river.
Ethelbert must have been scared, swimming through the currents, the river rocks scraping his belly, the sad absence of the salt and brine feeling bland and neutral against his flesh. But straight lines usually take you places, so he kept going straight up the river.
People living next to the river must have been amazed seeing an orca so far from the sea. Maybe some of them thought Ethelbert was some sort of mystical sea monster. It was 1931 and the internet didn't exist so people couldn't google descriptions of the strange beast they just witnessed. Maybe the riverfolk didn't know what seafolk know and maybe some of them didn't even know what an orca whale was.
But some people knew what Ethelbert was. The sportsman with glimmers of glory dreams flickering in their eyes quickly grabbed their riffles and guns as to shoot the poor whale dead. To kill a creature of such mass, of such legend would surely prove their own bravado and validate them as men. They didn't feel sympathy for the lost whale so far from home. They didn't see that Ethelbert was at such a disadvantage being scared and weak and lost that killing him could only prove cruelty and foolery.
Ethelbert had become stuck in a slough. He attracted attention through his graceful leaps and his desperate attempts at salvation disguised as playful splashing. Many were in awe of the creature, cheering him on, watching him and trying to understand him. The Humane Society worked a plan to save him. He was going to be transported to a saltwater tank and then released back into the sea. But before that could happen, an old whale harpooner and his son killed Ehtelbert.
What must have Ehtelbert thought as those harpoons took his life. He must of thought with regret of his lost pod, of that wrong turn down the river. He must have remembered the peace and freedom of swimming in the sea. He remembered all the things he loved, the taste of salmon, the sight of rain drops making rings on top of the sea's surface, the beautiful echoing call of his podmates. All of it existed together in his mind for that second before he perished. And the humans just kept on living their lives, not thinking of any of these things, not thinking much at all.
Ethelbert must have been scared, swimming through the currents, the river rocks scraping his belly, the sad absence of the salt and brine feeling bland and neutral against his flesh. But straight lines usually take you places, so he kept going straight up the river.
People living next to the river must have been amazed seeing an orca so far from the sea. Maybe some of them thought Ethelbert was some sort of mystical sea monster. It was 1931 and the internet didn't exist so people couldn't google descriptions of the strange beast they just witnessed. Maybe the riverfolk didn't know what seafolk know and maybe some of them didn't even know what an orca whale was.
But some people knew what Ethelbert was. The sportsman with glimmers of glory dreams flickering in their eyes quickly grabbed their riffles and guns as to shoot the poor whale dead. To kill a creature of such mass, of such legend would surely prove their own bravado and validate them as men. They didn't feel sympathy for the lost whale so far from home. They didn't see that Ethelbert was at such a disadvantage being scared and weak and lost that killing him could only prove cruelty and foolery.
Ethelbert had become stuck in a slough. He attracted attention through his graceful leaps and his desperate attempts at salvation disguised as playful splashing. Many were in awe of the creature, cheering him on, watching him and trying to understand him. The Humane Society worked a plan to save him. He was going to be transported to a saltwater tank and then released back into the sea. But before that could happen, an old whale harpooner and his son killed Ehtelbert.
What must have Ehtelbert thought as those harpoons took his life. He must of thought with regret of his lost pod, of that wrong turn down the river. He must have remembered the peace and freedom of swimming in the sea. He remembered all the things he loved, the taste of salmon, the sight of rain drops making rings on top of the sea's surface, the beautiful echoing call of his podmates. All of it existed together in his mind for that second before he perished. And the humans just kept on living their lives, not thinking of any of these things, not thinking much at all.