Humans Help Hurt Humpback
By Teresa Soule

What happens when creatures of the sea become ensnared in the trappings of the human world? Recently, on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, there was the story of a 45 to fifty-foot female humpback whale who had become entangled in a web of crab traps and lines. Weighing in at around fifty tons, she was in the middle of her migratory route from Northern California, down past Baja California, to the breeding grounds in Hawaii. Approximately 15,000 humpback whales lived in the North Pacific in the early 1900s, but the population was significantly hurt by commercial whaling. By the mid-Twentieth Century, there were fewer than 1000 whales left in existence. An international ban on commercial whaling was instituted in 1964, but humpbacks are still endangered. Today there are 5000 to 7500 humpbacks left in our world’s oceans, and several thousand of these whales migrate down the coast of California. The humpback whales’ two main predators are killer whales and humans.

Humpbacks are mammals, just like humans. While we don’t have blowholes, we do share a number of traits with humpback whales: we are warm blooded, breathe air, give birth to and nurse live young. The connection between the whale mother and its child is long lasting, just like most human’s bonds to their mothers. Humpbacks have fun, just like us. Breeching is a kind of playful activity in which the whales lift two-thirds of their body out of the water and splash down. Whales breech for a variety of reasons including mating, cleaning of the skin, and probably just for the fun of it. Humpbacks have a unique pigmentation pattern located on the underside of their tail. This pattern can be likened to the unique combination of swirls on our human fingertips.

As the female humpback was swimming down the coast of California, she became entangled in nylon ropes. She was weighted down by twelve to fifteen ninety-pound crab pots, the lines of which were pulled so tightly that the rope was digging into the animal’s flesh, leaving visible cuts.

She also had hundreds of yards of rope wrapped around her body—her tail, her torso, the back and the left front flipper, and there was a line in her mouth. The combined weight of pots and rope was pulling her down into the water, forcing her to struggle to keep her blowhole above the water. If her blowhole submerged for too long, she could drown.

The struggling whale was found about eighteen miles east of the Farralone Islands a few miles off the coast of San Francisco by a local fisherman who then radioed several marine mammal groups for help. Once organized, the rescue team set off to free the trapped whale. Diving below her and swimming around her so they could cut off all of her ropes was the only option, and an extremely risky one. Only one slap of her large strong tail could kill a rescuer. The four rescuers worked several hours cutting the ropes with a special curved knife. They eventually were able to free her from the entanglement of ropes and crab pots.

One rescuer commented on how the whale floated “quietly” with little to no movement the whole time. She did seem to give off a strange kind of vibration. It is likely she was singing at such a low resonance that her song could only be felt, not heard. One diver remarked that as he was cutting some of the rope in her mouth, the whale’s eye was watching him intently. He said it was a life-changing moment feeling her song reverberate through his body and having her eye follow him so closely.

Humpback’s songs are similar to our own songs; they range in octave throughout the whole piece, they contain repeating patterns, and amazingly enough, whales’ songs do contain some elements of language, like our own. Their songs cover a wide range on the vocal scale, a total of eight octaves. The lowest octave cannot be heard by human ears. All whales within a given area seem to use the same songs. However, the songs change from one breeding season to the next. Only male humpbacks have been recorded singing; it is not known if the females sing. Is it possible that the diver felt, maybe for the first time in human history, female humpback vocalization?

When the whale realized she was free, she began to swim around in circles. She went to each diver, nuzzled him, pushed him around, and then swam to the next one. She seemed to be thanking each of them. “She seemed kind of affectionate,” remarked another rescuer. He never felt threatened and was thankful for such an amazing and unbelievable experience.

For the complete story, see the December 15, 2004 San Franciso Chronical, www.sfgate.com.
More information on humpback whales and what you can do to help conservation efforts can be found at http://www.whalecenter.org or check out http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/humpback/.

The Nature of Flying
By Julia Gaunt
There are infinite ways for us to connect to nature. One way is vicariously experienced through our animals, fish, insects, and birds. We find pleasure in our dog that can run like a horse. We observe fish with fins that swim through water with speed and grace in a way that we cannot. Ants fascinate us because they live in a symbiotic relationship with one another, building colonies and sharing earth in harmonious ways. Bees pay homage to a queen in a hierarchy. Our domestic pets thrive on elaborate care and attention. Before left to the wild to fend for themselves, they now live in palaces where their care is equal our fellow human beings or perhaps superior. What do we derive from keeping, caring for, observing, and making companions of these creatures? The answer is individual and personal.

Research indicates that the simple act of petting, touching, and caring for animals raises levels of feel-good hormones such as serotonin in the human body.1 Improved health and greater longevity has been linked to the human relationship with other animal species.

My personal pets of choice are birds. One of the reasons I love birds is that they have something I do not: wings. From the time I was very young, I had a kinship with birds, from my first parakeet to the cockatoo of eleven years.

Just a year ago, the opportunity to raise doves presented itself to me. I flew with it! I discovered something I had never known, the homing dove. Each morning when I awaken I go out and release them to the sky. The golden light of the morning catches under their wings as they fly around and around above the house, with swoops and sudden turns in the wind as they circle and shift and swap positions in the air rounding the property thirty times before stopping mid-flight. In a sudden fall from the sky, the white birds float down from the trees in a pattern, landing on the rooftop, a pit stop to their loft entrance. The afternoon will bring yet another flight, only maybe at a distance this time of five, ten, or even forty miles from home—good exercise for these trained athletes. With the help of their natural compass, the magnetic pull of the earth, and sight and sound, they are instinctively driven on their path—flying at speeds of twenty to forty miles an hour to their destination, back home.

The dove represents the wayfarer of the sky, a being who though it belongs to the earth is capable of dwelling in the skies. A dove can fly to great heights and in a moments notice soar into the clouds, joining its flock. I am inspired by how the entire flock circles back to include the one bird that has gone astray, instead of heading out and leaving it behind.

The doves are a model of community-—a flock flies together, going the same direction with one common purpose—to find their bearings and head home. Back at their loft, they have a family and young ones awaiting them. They are the parents, the teachers, the mentors, and the elders. In the loft, they each have their place: for some a perch and for others a nest. The doves are quite harmonious; there is an occasional fuss over a perch or nest, but most squabbles are settled without injury and peace reigns once more.

The only doves suitable for “Dove Releases” are well-trained Rock Doves. The homing pigeon, or Rock Dove, has been returning home to help human beings for centuries: in ancient Greece and Italy they were used to carry messages and race in contests. In 43 B.C., Brutus used homing pigeons to communicate with his consuls during a siege led by Mark Antony. The doves can facilitate a healing experience or be part of ancient ceremony. By holding and releasing doves in the name of a deceased loved one, one physically, emotionally, and spiritually experiences a letting go that may be necessary in the grieving process. For married couples, the letting go of doves represents an ancient ritual symbolizing the many elements of married life. The doves are released as the wedding couple begins their journey together, flying together yet not so near to each other to disrupt the flight of the other. White doves have long been recognized universally as a symbol of peace and goodwill.
We gain something unexplainable by watching these pure white birds fly. Some people say they feel uplifted and a sense of peace witnessing a dove release. Maybe it stimulates the same feel-good hormones we receive from petting a dog, or warming up with our cat.

We are fortunate to share this planet with so many wonderful creatures of nature. It is my hope that we will continue to live, learn, and be inspired by these birds in ways that teach us about the harmony and nature of the earth. When we allow ourselves to experience these lovely white birds, we gain something we might not have expected. Could it be that these creatures force us to stop, if even just for a few minutes and take notice of them and their unique role on this planet?

Forever moving forward, the dove is a true hope for the future—a future of peace.

Julia Gaunt has lived in Asheville, NC for 25 years. She shares her
home with her husband, daughter, weekend grandson, two dogs, a cat, three inside birds, and sixty homing doves. For more information, contact A Spirit’s Wings Dove Releases, www.aspiritswings.com or call 828-582-9115. 
Footnote: 1-University of Texas Health Science Center, Health Leader Magazine, Dr Blaire Justice, Dr Rita Justice

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