When Luna appeared his presence immediately began to draw attention. The town of Gold River depended largely on natural resources, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a viable economy (Groc 159). Luna’s presence drew attention, tourism, and the money a struggling Gold River needed. That is not to say that Gold River’s people exploited Luna with any necessary malice; Luna was a gift and much of Gold River were grateful for his presence. For others, however, his presence caused considerable concern in several areas. And by making his new home in the bay off shore, a town soon became divided on several fronts.
Luna was unafraid of people and sought out the opportunity to socialize with them (Groc 158). The term for this is “solitary sociable” (Groc 158) and refers to a social animal like Luna, in his case a toothed whale, who, after becoming separated from his pod seeks out humans for companionship. Luna was playful and was never reported, according to Groc (159), to show aggression to the people around him. His sheer size, however, made him a formidable playmate. In his attempts to engage with humans, he damaged boats and endangered people in kayaks (Groc 159).
Luna meant many things to many different people. Some saw him as creating too much destruction while others welcomed the increased tourism. Native Americans believed he was the reincarnation of a respected chief (Groc 158). Everyone had an opinion and no one knew what to do. Ultimately, Luna became so accustomed to humans it led to his death when he ventured too close to a boat and received a fatal blow from the propeller (Groc 158).
The controversy consisted primarily of what was best to do for Luna and many experts weighed in. Should he be left to his own devices or led back to his pod? No matter what was considered or attempted, however, human interaction kept Luna off the coast of Gold River. By receiving interaction and food, Luna was encouraged to stay where he was and even increase his interaction with people. In Luna’s case the harm came to him and to property, but not directly to humans. But not all cases of human interaction with wild animals end so benignly.
There is a seeming disregard for the nature of animals, and a short-sightedness among humans about wild animals. Humans repeatedly attempt to interact with animals, and their seemingly docile response leads to an unwarranted level of comfort. But it is not because the animal has become tame; it is because the animal has lost its fear of man. This inevitably leads to disaster. In Luna’s case, he was the one who suffered most, but that is not always the case.
In 2014, National Geographic highlighted the danger of human fascination with wild animals (Slater n.p.) both to the human and the animal. She cited one after another case of exotic pet owners, whose animals, seemingly tame, one day embraced their instinct, killing or maiming the human who cared for them: mountain lions, chimpanzees, kangaroos, snakes. Overall there are few restrictions on owning these animals (Slater n.p.) many of which can be bought online despite some being considered endangered animals. Common among all animal lovers is the tendency towards anthropomorphizing animals: attributing human qualities or emotions to animals. This can lull people into a sense of comfort, telling themselves ‘he would never hurt me; he loves me’ or ‘he seems so sad when I’ leading the person to do something in neither of their best interests.
Keeping exotic pets is not the only ways human put both themselves and animals at risk. Wildlife reserves and animal parks are filled with warning signs not to feed the animals. The cute bear someone hands snacks to one day becomes 250 pounds of assertive predator unafraid to approach humans in no time at all.
The Humane Society warns against this very thing (“Four Reasons” n.p.) noting the danger of animals losing their fear of people or becoming accustomed to cars. When animals are no longer afraid of humans, they will approach humans or make their way into recreational areas where humans and their food can be found or even in residential areas (“Four Reasons” n.p.). This creates an enormous amount of danger for both the human and the animal even though it may appear friendly. The fact is, it remains a wild animal and is simply unafraid to seek food from people. These animals can be become dangerous when they are not rewarded for their efforts or become frightened or anxious. Feeding animals from cars can be just as dangerous for both the people and the animals. If animals are used to being fed from cars, they are increasingly likely to be hit by cars. Further, they may break into cars in search of food with reports from Yosemite National Park noting over 1,000 cars per year damaged by bears in search of food (“Four Reasons” n.p.).
Animals can develop a taste for human food which may not be good for them, or may become so used to being fed they seek out humans instead of following their own learned behavior to hunt for food themselves. The Humane Society reported a problem even with feeding wild ducks and geese. They can be fed so much human food they develop a disease, angel wing, as a result of depending on humans to meet their needs and forego their natural, healthy diets (“Four Reasons” n.p.).
Another common use of wild animals is for entertainment. In circuses and shows around the world, wild animals are required to perform for audiences. They are removed from their natural environments and taught behaviors that violate many of their instincts (“Animals Used” n.p.). They are limited in space and kept chained or caged with limited contact with their own kind. PETA suggests, in a video series, animals which have been subjected to ill-treatment and unnatural expectations for so long they became erratic and dangerous, an allegation supported by video evidence entitled “Driven Insane” (“Animals Used” n.p.). Endless reports of wild animals rampaging or turning on trainers abound: elephants, big cats, bears, and yes, even orcas just like Luna.
The interaction between humans and wild animals involve a delicate balance. Humans are responsible for the world we all share and, by default, for the animals with which we share it. But the degree of that responsibility and how it is carried out is the gray area around which much of the debate is centered. In the case of Luna, conservationists and wildlife activists fought to keep people away from Luna so he would not become accustomed to, and ultimately dependent on, people, but were unsuccessful. The dilemma was the need for socialization that whales have and whether or not he would survive without the human interaction he sought (Groc 159). Animals that are kept in cages or abused may require human intervention and might not ever be able to return to a natural habitat (Slater n.p.), and therein lays another dilemma: how far do humans go when it was humans who created the problem? What of orphaned wild animals? Left to their own, they are not likely to survive, but raised by humans who are not specifically trained to do so, they will never learn the skills necessary to live in their habitat and become destined to an unnatural life.
In describing one former exotic- pet-owner-turned-environmentalist, Slater (n.p.) shared the man’s personal awakening when he realized the injustice he was doing to his captive animals. After visiting Africa and seeing wildlife existing in a primal rhythm with its environment, he knew that no person could offer a wild animal the life nature intended it to have, the life humans should ensure it can have, and the life the animal deserves to have.
Works Cited
“Animals Used for Entertainment.” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. n.d. Web.
Groc, Isabelle. “Orca Encounters.” Becoming an Active Reader: Skills in Reading and Writing. Ed. Eric Henderson. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. 158-162. Print.
“Four Reasons Not to Feed Wildlife.” The Humane Society of the United States. May 7, 2013. Web.
Slater, Lauren. “Wild Obsession.” National Geographic. April, 2014. Web.
