Tug-Of-Whale Suspended for Now
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Efforts to capture
and relocate a lost killer whale on Canada's Pacific Coast were
suspended temporarily on Friday following objections from
Native Indians who say the animal may be the spirit of a dead
chief and who want it to stay where it is.
The tug-of-love between scientists and a native group over
the whale created a circus-like scene this week in Nootka
Sound, a ocean inlet on western Vancouver Island, where the
animal has lived alone since 2001 after it became separated
from its family pod.
The Mowachaht-Muchalaht Indians thwarted efforts to capture
the whale, nicknamed Luna by scientists and called Tsu 'Xiit
(sook-eat) by the natives. They used canoes and traditional
singers to lure the curious animal away from the boat officials
were using to try to lure it into a capture pen.
Marilyn Joyce of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans
said after meeting with the band's leaders that the capture
effort had been put on hold until at least early next week to
allow the Indians to spend more time with the animal.
"What our operational team would like to do today is
respect that the First Nations are practicing their cultural
traditions on the water and give them some space to do that,"
Joyce said in Gold River, British Columbia, where the capture
effort is headquartered.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Efforts to capture
and relocate a lost killer whale on Canada's Pacific Coast were
suspended temporarily on Friday following objections from
Native Indians who say the animal may be the spirit of a dead
chief and who want it to stay where it is.
The tug-of-love between scientists and a native group over
the whale created a circus-like scene this week in Nootka
Sound, a ocean inlet on western Vancouver Island, where the
animal has lived alone since 2001 after it became separated
from its family pod.
The Mowachaht-Muchalaht Indians thwarted efforts to capture
the whale, nicknamed Luna by scientists and called Tsu 'Xiit
(sook-eat) by the natives. They used canoes and traditional
singers to lure the curious animal away from the boat officials
were using to try to lure it into a capture pen.
Marilyn Joyce of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans
said after meeting with the band's leaders that the capture
effort had been put on hold until at least early next week to
allow the Indians to spend more time with the animal.
"What our operational team would like to do today is
respect that the First Nations are practicing their cultural
traditions on the water and give them some space to do that,"
Joyce said in Gold River, British Columbia, where the capture
effort is headquartered.
Comment