Dear editor,
Kudos to the whale rescue team for their efforts to save little kʷiisaḥiʔis - but they need a new approach.
By whale reckoning, two-year-old kʷiisaḥiʔis is a toddler. Her mother is gone, her relatives are far away, and these strange creatures keep chasing her. (She might even think they are playing a game of tag!)
Furthermore, the orphan is likely unwilling to leave the place where she last saw her mother, who became stranded at the shallow end of the lagoon - the very area they are trying to herd her into. Maybe Mamma warned her baby to stay away from this dangerous spot!
I am thinking of a time when we lost our four-year-old son in a large shopping mall. A woman saw him crying and offered her hand, saying she would take him to the mall office. He replied, “Mommy told me never to go with a stranger.”
The wise lady reassured him that she was a grandma, and said “Tell you what… just follow behind me.” And he did.
So why not use the same strategy here? Assign a diver to hang out with her, play with her, give her treats, and develop her trust, until she is comfortable enough to follow that diver to the safe place.
I am not a whale expert - just a mom.
Jacqui Graham,
Courtenay