Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
6 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Beluga Whale playing some rugby (Original Post) mia Nov 2019 OP
K&R for the whale puppy. nt tblue37 Nov 2019 #1
Even a large marine mammal deserves a *Squeee*! The Velveteen Ocelot Nov 2019 #2
It's so life-affirming to see playful animals BKDem Nov 2019 #3
And seeing humans and animals playing together. Aristus Nov 2019 #4
I think that would be problematic for narwhals n/t NotASurfer Nov 2019 #5
:( demmiblue Nov 2019 #6

demmiblue

(36,744 posts)
6. :(
Sat Nov 9, 2019, 03:31 PM
Nov 2019


Since then H. has appeared in various Northern harbors and in several viral videos and many news reports. He repeatedly approached boats, pulled a diver's knife from its scabbard, and returned an iPhone to a woman who dropped it

Because H. has spent so much time in captivity he seems unable to join a wild pod & remains at least semi-dependent on human care. There have been disturbing reports that H. has been injured by propellors & anglers and that people have prodded & jabbed him https://nrk.no/finnmark/hvaldimir-har-fatt-mange-nye-skader_-_-flere-har-kastet-planker-og-andre-ting-etter-ham-1.14701000

On Nov 7 Alon Kowen posted a video on Facebook allegedly showing South African rugby fans playing fetch w/ a beluga "close to the South Pole." Few people questioned the provenance or why there would be a beluga so far south; they inhabit the far North https://facebook.com/alon.kowen/videos/beluga-whale-celebrating-the-springboks-victory-somewhere-close-to-the-south-pol/10157295174625860/

Belugas are highly intelligent & social, but truly wild whales are not familiar w/ rugby. They don't know what to do w/ a ball if you throw it at them. The provenance of the video remains unclear. I've reached out to Kowen for more information and will update if I hear from him

The video has now been shared & liked hundreds of thousands of times. But it's not an adorable or inspiring depiction of interspecies relations. It's a tragic story all too similar to those of Keiko & Luna, orcas whose celebrity & isolation ultimately killed them far too young

Thank you to @Quad_Finn@TetZooand others for their efforts to bring the real story to wider attention
Latest Discussions»The DU Lounge»Beluga Whale playing some...