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| Cornered Minke Whale In Ganges Harbour, (Photo Credit Jason Bateman.) |
A woman who works here at the local flower shop told me this funny story about American tourists asking her what time do the whales come by? I know. It is a question to really stop one in one's tracks. It is almost impossible not to want to really go to town with that one. At one point though, in 2002, whales came into our Salt Spring Ganges harbour and locals did go to town. The show went on for hours. Several Orcas, probably transients, were toying with a much smaller Minke Whale. Businesses and schools closed to watch and as word out got the crowds swelled. It seemed it was a kind of bullying for fun for the Minke was never quite hurt enough to suffer a lethal blow, it was just never released from being cornered. As it would try and swim away the bigger Orcas blocked escape. Biologist Dr. John Ford came to Salt Spring Island to talk about it and I went to listen. He recounted the Minke was later found floating out to sea with the cheeks bitten out and the rest of the body intact. The Orcas had drowned it. This brings to mind a whale tale of my own in my kayak on a wild and rugged west coast which is the subject of my next blog.