COUPEVILLE — People here have not forgotten the orcas captured and killed in Penn Cove almost 40 years ago.
About 50 people on Sunday gathered to share stories and feelings, and to commemorate the lone Penn Cove survivor, Lolita.
“It was such a traumatic event for people here and for everyone who heard about it,” said Howard Garrett, co-founder and director of Orcas Network.
Orcas Network works to educate people about marine mammals and to serve as advocates for the animals. This Sunday marked the 11th year the group hosted the event, Garrett said, “so that people know about the wonder of these orcas that live around us.”
In 1971, 45 Southern Resident orcas were captured in Washington and 13 were killed.
Garrett watched attitudes toward orcas change over the years. He remembers back in 1960s when people shot at the whales and feared them. For people in the Northwest, that has changed, Garrett said.
In the years to come, orcas became valuable commodities.
“We see them as representing the health of the environment, so we want to keep them healthy,” he said.
At the meeting, people watched old footage of the captures and talked to people who witnessed the events, Garrett said.
People were touched when the heard the cries of the whales. They also witnessed what Garrett called a mystery: The orcas didn’t harm any members of the capture team. They could have, easily.
“Not a flick of a fluke toward a human,” Garrett said.
Garrett and others are rallying for an important cause, to bring Lolita back to Puget Sound from her home at the Miami Seaquarium.
“We’d like to give her the chance to be home again,” he said.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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