Minke Whale Click on picture to enlarge

The next mammals to arrive were the dolphins. For a couple of weeks we saw harbour porpoises swimming playfully off of the cliffs. They appeared in groups of five or six at a time.

Finally the Orcas or killer whales arrived. The first sighting was a pod of four far out in the sea. They were making a lot of splash and we could not figure out what they were doing since there was nothing large out there to attack. The next day when I was out in the harbour in the boat I noticed half of our seal population had disappeared. With a sickening realization I knew what the splashing was all about. Orcas favourite food is seals. Like cats with mice Orcas like to play with the seals while they are still alive. They will throw the seals in the air and play catch. Often they continue the game after the poor seals are dead. Hoping I was wrong it was only a few days later until I saw the commotion again. This time I could see the seals being tossed in the air with binoculars. It made me so sad.

Since then I do not look for the Orcas. I know they have to eat but such cruelty I never want to see again.

As Always,

Sharma

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You can find more articles in the archive under Island Miniatures/Lighthouse Letters.