The Orca Whales of Eden is simply the most amazing true story I have ever heard about regarding humans and Orca whales interacting for a common good. This story is true, not fiction, and a simple internet search will reveal more information than I could possible write here about this amazing story. So briefly, the story of the Orca’s of Eden starts hundreds of years ago.
Eden is a small coastal town on the south east coast of Australia. Before the advent of white settlers it was inhabited by native people called the Yuin. Somewhere in the past these native people developed a relationship with a local Orca whale pod. The Orcas would drive large baleen whales (that were migrating north from Antarctica) into Twofold Bay and in the ensuing chase the baleen whales would often beach themselves trying to escape the Orcas. These beached whales soon became food for the Yuit people. The natives believed the Orcas were the re-incarnated spirits of dead tribal members.
The first white settler in Twofold Bay was Thomas Raines who arrived in 1828. Thomas Raines was soon followed by The Imlays Brothers who arrived in 1830. Whaling was becoming big business and the Imlays brothers started hiring native Yuin men to hunt whales for them. Soon the relationship between the native Yuin’s and the Orcas became apparent, but many white men hunting alongside the Yuins were terrified of the Orcas. They would beat the Orcas with their oars and jab at them with their lances in an attempt to drive them away. It is reported that the white whalers even threw explosive devices at the Orcas in their attempt to scare the whales into leaving. This behavior by the white whaler did drive the Orcas away to the dismay of the local Yuin natives.
Sometime in the 1840′s Alexander Davidson with his son John started hunting whales from their small, brightly green painted whaling boats in Twofold Bay. They also hired the native Yuit peoples but instead of fearing the Orcas they embraced them. Where whalers in the past had driven the Orcas away the Davidson family believed in the “law of the tongue”, as they called it. That law simply stated is that after a successful whale kill(with the help of the Orca whales) the Davidsons would tow the whale back to Twofold bay, anchor it to the shallow bottom, go home and and let the Orcas eat. The Orcas only ate the tongue and the lips. A few days on the bottom and the whale would float to the surface were the Davidson family would then bring it to their docks and harvest the whale.
Soon the Orca whales of Eden would swim as close as they could to the Davidson’s small beach house, breaching and splashing and creating a huge ruckus in an attempt to get the Davidson’s attention. Even in the middle of the night the Orcas would wake the Davisdons up because they had driven whales into the bay. It is believed that one whale in particular nicknamed “Old Tom” would tow the Davidson whale boat out to chase the whales by taking a two inch line in his teeth and pulling the whole boat and crew with him. There were other whaling families in the area but this special relationship with the Orcas was only between the Davidson family in their green whale boats and this small group of whales. It is reported that the Orcas even saved members of the Davidson family from being killed by sharks when they or other crew members fell in the water or had their boats destroyed by whales.
By 1900 the pod of Orca whales at Eden contained fifteen whales. Around this time one of the Orcas in the pod, a whale nicknamed Typee landed in shallow water and became stranded. Normally Typee would struggle and get off with a little help from an incoming tide. But a drunken white man named Harry Silks knifed Typee to death( it is stated that he was killed for his action that very day). The Orcas of Eden witnessed this murder and left the bay immediately. The following year only six of the whales returned. The relationship between Orca and whaler was never the same. Old Tom died in Twofold Bay in 1930. There is a museum dedicated to him and the other Orcas of Eden. Old Tom’s skeleton is preserved in this museum.
I suggest a little homework on your part by researching the internet to find out more about this fantastic relationship between two very intelligent mammals, man and the Orca Whales of Eden.
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