Here’s a good explanation about why the story of Tahlequah, the mother orca whale who’s been carrying her dead calf on what researchers call a “grief tour” of the San Juan Islands for more than ten days, resonates so clearly with us. The author, Susan Casey, writes: “To learn the orcas’ natural and cultural history is to understand how closely connected a mother and calf are, how tight-knot their bond. Like us, orcas are self-aware, cognitively skilled individuals that communicate using their pod’s signature dialect. Unlike us, their core identity is communal: It encompasses not just themselves, but their family group. The idea that Tahlequah is grieving her dead calf is not some sentimental projection. Science strongly backs it up.” Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/04/opinion/sunday/the-orca-her-dead-calf-and-us.html
