The heartbreak
Monday, January 6, 2024
by Jeff Noedel
Last week’s heartbreaking news of another dead calf of Southern Resident Killer Whales’ Tahlequah (J35) was a worldwide story. Reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NBC News peppered local experts with questions during a 60-minute telephone news conference. There were even more journalists in the queue with questions when the session ended.
The world, it seemed, grieved with the San Juans and the local Tribes. And the world grieved with Tahlequah.
If you missed the Seattle Times article, there is no better reporter on this subject than Lynda V. Mapes. Her January 2 article is here.
But SanJuans.Today wondered what kind of impact these losses have on the scientists who are working so hard to figure out how to save the “Southern Residents” from extinction.
- Does the scientific method require them to be dispassionate and objective?
- Or do they feel the heartbreak even more acutely, since they are so close to these amazing creatures?
We reached out to Dr. Michael Weiss, who is the Research Director for The Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor.
He said, “To your question, I think there’s a bit of both things. As a person, I grieve and I feel every loss. This one has hit particularly hard. As a professional scientist, I try to keep that separate from scientific judgments as much as possible. But it’s still there, and it’s still a huge motivator for doing the science in the first place.”
Then we asked how do the career scientists remain hopeful and optimistic in the face of these setbacks, and the particular challenges the Southern Residents are experiencing.
His answer: “We try to support one another in the whale community. I also find a lot of hope in the whales themselves. They haven’t given up, they’re still having babies and trying. And they’re still socializing and doing their best to, I think, enjoy life. I feel like I can’t give up if they haven’t. Given half a chance, they can thrive. All we have to do is give them the chance.
