THE ONE WHO NEVER GOT A CHANCE
It happened two days ago. The closer we came, the longer I held my breath. I could not believe my eyes when I finally realised what we had in front of us...
A passenger had first noticed something in a distance and we turned the boat in that direction, but there were no typical signs of a whale. Captain Hlynur peered his eyes and said; ”There is something very strange out there...”. We approached the foreign object and I pinched my arm. There was a dolphin cow drifting on the surface, belly up, with a calf stuck half-way out. They were both dead.
All whales are born with the tail fin (flukes) first, otherwise they would drown as they are marine mammals breathing with lungs. This baby dolphin looked very big for being on its way out of the womb. Maybe the mother had gone over time and the calf, therefore, had grown too big for her to push out. We will never know exactly why- or how-, just that it happened. It is sad, but still fascinating…
We had the same feeling on the 22 July 2008 when a pod of orcas entered the bay and killed a minke in front of the whale watching boats. Interesting but heartbreaking - especially as this case involved the death of a calf.
What comforts me is that I have already seen many white-beaked dolphin babies in Skjálfandi this year – alive and kicking. They look just like the adults (but half the size) and are full of the same energy. Protected by their relatives they learn everything they have to know for a life in Skjálfandi bay. This particular calf never got that chance, but such is life sometimes. It is nature; always unpredictable and where only the fittest survive.