Page 30 - Fourways Gardens February 2021

Nature

can corKy read your Mind?

B y Ja M es c larke

ome years ago, marine biologist, done that and said, “We’ll try it next week.” just an enormous coincidence? Tish saw my
alexandra morton, a world authority expression of disbelief and smiled.
on orcas, was visiting marineland morton, in her 2002 book, Listening to Whales,
soceanarium in Los angeles where recalls: “That’s whales for you,” she said, “they can
she had once worked. she was chatting to read your mind. We trainers see this kind of
dolphin trainer, tish Flynn, and mentioned Then something happened that has made stuff all the time.”
the problem of captive orcas (also known me careful of my thoughts around whales
as ‘killer wales’) suffering boredom in the ever since. As Tish walked out of the stadium, Could Corky read morton’s or Flynn’s
‘dreadful confinement’ of an oceanarium. Corky (one of the orcas), rose to the surface mind? or is that an absurd suggestion?
and slapped her dorsal fin on the water’s
Orcas, the largest of the world’s 42 species surface. After a moment’s hesitation, she dove it is no more absurd than the recent finding
of dolphins, can weigh more than 4 tons and surfaced to slap her fin again. As Corky that dolphins can pass mental images
and, despite their ‘killer’ moniker, they are, continued, she gained momentum and rose (‘snapshots’ of what they are seeing) to
like most dolphins, well disposed towards higher, the next time sending a satisfying smack each other even when kilometres apart.
humans and have never been known to across the water. I stood in the grandstands and no more absurd than elephants
deliberately kill anybody. watching, mouth agape. being able to communicate via vibrations
sent along the ground from their feet.
morton told Flynn how, in the open ocean, “Tish, Tish, come! Quick, you’ve got to see this!’”
she’d watched wild orcas noisily slapping the bizarre, yes. absurd, no.
water surface with their huge, almost sail-like Tish emerged from the stadium tunnel to see
dorsal fins, possibly as a means of seeking Corky flying around the tank, waves sloshing and consider sperm whales and how
attention. she suggested the oceanarium try water over the side. With each breath the they create underwater sound waves to
to get its two captive orcas to do the same – exuberant whale rolled and smacked her fin on communicate with others on the other
“just to liven things up”. the water. side of the ocean.

Flynn said the oceanarium’s orcas had never Had the whale read my mind, or was this Whether working in a marine environment

Fourways Gardens • 28 • February 2021