The London Whale - A symbol of a Dying Planet
A Whale's Message Brought to the Heart of Civilization
by John O’Donnell – Looking-Glass and VeggieGlobal
A member of one of the oldest living species on earth caught the hearts and imagination of millions around the world during January 2006 when a whale made its way up the River Thames and into the very centre of London. For two days, the sick Northern Bottle-Nosed whale swam back and forth between the famous bridges of London as thousands of people lined the bank of the Thames to watch this never-before seen spectacle. Although every effort was made to save it, the whale finally died just as it was being helped back out to sea.
However, this unique moment, when a near extinct species entered a city of 8 million humans, should be recognized as an occasion of important significance; a sign direct from the heart of nature that our planet is in a serious environmental crisis. The London whale's death shouldn't be in vain - labelled as a "freak of nature" and forgotten as just another unusual news item. The natural world has sent a message to humanity that not all is well with the environment and those who live among it. Whales in particular are suffering and many marine species are close to the edge of extinction. In fact, numbers of Bottle-Nosed whales are very few, as are many other of their whale relatives - some which can live more than 200 years.
The state of the oceans is a good indicator of how man-made global warming, pollution and over-fishing have finally tipped the balance between humans versus nature. Nature has lost and now a pattern of highly unusual activities are beginning to take place around the world - abnormal hurricanes, tsunamis and floods - and the animal world itself sending subliminal messages to those who have caused the destabilization of planet Earth. Whether it be a whale swimming into London or tigers or polar bears uncharacteristically encroaching into human habitations simply because their forest homes or ice floes are disappearing; these are all actions by animals that are against their natural will - and humans are the cause. As the oceans die and destabilized currents cause tranquil, intelligent creatures like whales to venture into dangerous territory, we humans must question the enormous global destruction we have caused.
Did we really listen to the dying song of the London whale? To understand that it had sent us a simple message... "Stop killing our planet."
Help to Save Whales through these links:
Campaign Whale: www.campaign-whale.org
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society: www.wdcs.org
Care2 - Race to Save The Oceans
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