R.I.P Colin

Colin the whale is dead, killed by man.

Let me explain. Colin is, or rather was, a two-or-three week old whale calf that was found, alone and in distress, in the Pittwater area of Sydney's Northern Beaches. Mum was nowhere to be found and Colin was trying to suckle from yacht hulls that, I guess, resemble whale bellies. Sort of. If you listen to vets, zoo workers, people from Sea World and national parks workers they will tell you Colin was in distress, had not fed for days, was weak, had breathing difficulties and wounds inflicted by sharks. He was almost certainly going to die a pretty grim death. They also agreed that euthanasing Colin was best for him. Well, actually her, as it turned out.

However, Aboriginal "whale whisperer" Bunna Lawrie, who sang to Colin and patted her, reckoned it was the wrong thing to do. I'll leave it to you to decide who was right, the ones who have studied marine biology or the guy with the matt white paint on his face and a guitar. (OK, Bunna may have a doctorate in marine biology as well as the paint and guitar, I just don't know...) Some folks did seem to agree with Bunna, one shouting "it's a national disgrace!" as he walked past a camera crew filming a report. I don't think it is up there with the White Australia Policy or institutionalised racism, but hey, he is entitled to set his national discgrace criteria as he sees fit.

Anyway, Colin was killed today. There was a report on the evening news in which interviewed locals offered these opinions. It is, depending on who you listen to, illegal, disgusting and a crime. It is deplorable, distresing and harrowing and, my personal favourite, un-Australian. To balance things a little, the killers did claim it was the most humane thing to do which is, of course, a little ridiculous as well.

So, to the locals, would you have preferred to see nature take it's course and have Colin ripped to pieces by the local sharks? Letting nature take it's course would certainly be legal. But less distress and less harrowing? Would that be the Australian thing to do?

I'm just upset they didn't make the decision earlier and give me a chance to name him - her - Sashimi instead of Colin.

...ouch, that'll upset the hippies...