DeeKnow’s Grotto

What the hell is going on with those crazy cetaceans at the moment? First we have this warm fuzzy scene last Wednesday when a pod of dolphins surrounds a group of swimmers who eventually realise they were protecting them from the unwanted attention of a nearby great white shark.

Then on Thursday one Dan Hawthorn was sitting quietly in his kayak off the coast of Northland when he was suddenly confronted with a whale that came so close he could smell its breath.

And finally yesterday a sperm whale beaches itself in West Auckland (of all places) and a rather determined suicidal pod of Pilot whales strands itself on a Corromandel beach. Despite the best efforts of a bunch of locals and greenies most of the blubbery fellahs perish.

I'm all for inter-species communication, hell some of my best friends are animals, but this increased whale and dolphin shit is really starting to freak me up. I refuse to believe that these critters are actually intentionally seeking our company, just wanting to kinda hang-out with us. I mean, come on, with our track record as a species you think they'd be keeping well clear.

I'm a sucker for conspiracy so got easily drawn into a related theory from environmental group 'Earthwatch Institute' that claims dolphins and whales in various parts of the globe are suffering physical damage due oil company and millitary uses of high-power low-frequency underwater sonar equipment.

Could it be that there are similar experiments going on in our own waters that are forcing these underwater mammals to consider reversing their evolutionary process to join us back on land? Hardly likely to be our NZ navy as we're struggling to be able to afford SCUBA sets for divers let alone buy ourselves a submarine. Not sure about those Aussies tho.

I'm also kinda interested in the Massey University team that is investigating "the theory that whales navigate the oceans by following global magnetic lines. Local variations in those lines could possibly cause disorientation, leading to strandings. Research results were not yet available"

The truth is that despite crap loads of research around the globe noone has a definitave answer for why creatures that seem otherwise healthy and able to navigate in and avoid shallow waters under normal circumstances would suddenly act like retards and wantonly commit suicide. Its truely is a bloody mystery.

11:59:25 PM