Killer whale 'mom' mourns dead baby

[Bogertophis]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/27/us/ki...rnd/index.html

[tttaylorrr]

anyone who thinks whales and dolphins aren't highly intelligent, sentient beings are just daft. they deserve more from us.

from the article:

The calf sadly died within hours of its birth. As the body sank into the water, the mother repeatedly pushed it up, keeping it afloat for at least three days as she and her pod swam on.

Ken Balcomb,:cens0r:the Founder of the Center for Whale Research, tells CNN that in all likelihood, the whale and the rest of her pod knew exactly what they were doing.

"They know the calf is dead. I think this is a grieving or a ceremonial thing done by the mother," he says. "She doesn't want to let go. She's probably lost two other calves since her first offspring eight years ago."

and a sad TL;DR:

All of this means, in short, the whales aren't getting enough to eat. And without enough to eat, pregnancies aren't successful, and babies die shortly after birth.

[richardhind1972]

That really is sad, just shows that animals have feelings too


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[hilabeans]

I've seen this story posted for a couple of days now, but I just couldn't bare to read it. Too heartbreaking. You can absolutely sympathize with what this mother is going thru - it makes me want to cry.

Orcas are other level when it comes to their intelligence. The fact that we stick them in fish tanks for amusement is beyond irresponsible and sick. But I digress...

Sorry mama.

[Bogertophis]

I've seen this story posted for a couple of days now, but I just couldn't bare to read it. Too heartbreaking. You can absolutely sympathize with what this mother is going thru - it makes me want to cry.

Orcas are other level when it comes to their intelligence. The fact that we stick them in fish tanks for amusement is beyond irresponsible and sick. But I digress...

Sorry mama.

Honestly it took me until this morning to read it too...