Killing the Whales..the right choice.

Well, the inevitable happened. The False Killer Whales not Pilot whales that managed to get out to sea, all returned and just beached themselves further along the beach.

The decision was made to euthanise them. It was the correct and best way to go about it.

It's a quick process. The bullet goes straight through the brain through the blow hole and the whale dies in a few seconds. You can't be emotional about it.It had to have been done to prevent suffering. Plus "The beach was a disaster area".

As mentioned yesterday, there were kids, dogs and with the emotional human element, when the first whales were shot,the public went hysterical, and I mean HYSTERICAL. Some were throwing themselves on the beach and fights broke out with the authorities. Others had to be carried away by the police.

It is going to be a very hot topic for a long time here, with everyone having their say on how the situation should have been handled.

Nan Rice, head of the Dolphin Action and Protection group said "rehabilitating" the animals in those weather conditions proved impossible. We know, we tried to help.

She lashed out at public criticism of the decision to euthanise, as well as her organisation's handling of the stranded whales. I think they did very well, and I praise them ( all the authorities) for there efforts.

Well done. It was a sad situation, but in the end what was done, was for the best.

Killer whales in False Bay

I often forget how privileged we are. Rob gets to do what he loves,working with sharks and being on the ocean, and I love working from home doing all the bookings, correspondence and being with the kids.

On Sunday we had the fortunate rare experience, and may be the last one, of seeing Killer Whales/ Orca's.

Rob got a call from a friend saying that he has spotted Killer whales and a massive school of dolphins in the Bay. The kids and I were at a birthday party, and I was very embarrassed to inform our hostess that we had to immediately leave. We raced to the boat to meet Rob.

My heart jumped when we saw the first one. It was beautiful, really and truly beautiful! They swam in front, under and around the boat. Adam wanted to jump overboard, as he was so excited, and I had to take the kids onto the viewing deck.

There were 5 of them in the pod. 4 mediums ones ( I think all female) and one smaller male. They were actively after the dolphins. These animals can move it. They were swimming at a speed of 5 knots. They also eat seals, but didn't give them a second glance.

It was amazing to see them chase, herd and go in for the kill. They caught one dolphin,(They were Dusky dolphins),and then totally backed off. The dolphins went absolutely wild. They caused such massive splashes as they raced to get away, that all you could not even see them.

After that the Orca's changed course and swam away.

Rob took some nice pics, and my 4 yr old daughter wants to take a pic to "show and tell".

Sometimes we get caught up in the small stuff,paying bills,the increase in interest rates, wondering about the country and elections,how the global recession is going to affect us, and yes, it can seem overwhelming at times, but despite all of that, I am glad I took a step back and realised we are so privileged.

Shouldn't you?