In Memory of Luna
1999-2006
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Above is my tribute to Luna. Not my best drawing but the one with the most meaning, so if you steal it, then you are a heartless, awful person. If you ask permission, good for you.
This page is dedicated to Luna/L98, the beautiful, playful young Southern Resident whale who touched so many hearts, and met his tragic end in 2006. If you have any poems, drawings, photos, send them to me.
Luna
Copyright to Orcasforever
The beauty of the earth around
The wild of the sea
Trapped inside a painted beast
Captured majesty
An unknown treasure in our laps
A misplaced angel child
Whose innocence and purity
Left the greedy so beguiled
While wandering a secret path
And losing his dear way
From there the walls closed in around
And led us to this day
A wonder of the world appeared
And sang to us of glee
Of playfulness and freedom lands
The joy of being free
He made us children once again
Though we don’t know how
He danced for us without a flaw
Then twirled,
And took his bow.
Luna was a beautiful young male orca, a member of the Southern Resident community, who got lost and sadly, died without being reunited with his family. Here's a (shortened) timeline of his 6-year life:
September 19, 1999: Luna is first seen, traveling with Splash/L67 only hours after being born.
September 19-29, 1999: Luna travels with both Splash and Kiska/K18 as though they were his mothers. He is seen nursing with Splash, and later on an unidentified K-pod female (possibly Kiska) is seen with a dead newborn. Luna travels alone with both females, although usually Splash is nearby.
1999-2000: Luna travels with Splash, who is determined as his mom, without Kiska. He is named by a contest held by the Whale Museum.
2001: The Center for Whale Research doesn't see Luna during their survey and declare him dead.
July-December 2001: A lone orca calf is discovered in Nootka Sound, and is identified as Luna, although this isn't publicly announced.
January-July 2002: Luna's presence is publicly announced, but immediately afterwards, Springer/A73 is discovered in Puget Sound, alone and sick. She is captured and rehabilitated successfully.
September 2002: Luna starts to interact with boats, so worried researchers intervene and begin to educate people about the young whale.
October 2002: Luna unknowingly gets a brother when Splash gives birth to Aurora/L101.
Summer 2003: The Reunite Luna website is established, and Luna sustains wounds to his head from a propellor.
September-October 2003: The DFO makes plans to move Luna back to his family territory, but postpones the plan until next summer, because if he doesn't reunite with them, they don't want him spending winter in a worse place.
June 2004: An attempt to capture and relocate Luna takes place. The DFO plans to move him to Pedder Bay near Victoria. There are a few dubious parts to the plan: they plan on inserting a tracking transmitter through a steel pin in his fin, which could cause infection; a rope around his tail is cited as a last resort to capture, and plans to send him to an aquarium are listed if he doesn't reunite with his pod. The plans don't go forward at all, however, because members of the Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation lure Luna away from the nets, saying that they are protecting him and that he embodies the spirit of their dead chief. Attempts after that fail as Luna evades the nets, and the DFO eventually gives up.
2005/2006: Luna continues to cause disturbances and problems. Numerous stewardship programs take place to watch over him, while many researchers learn valuable information from his daily life.
March 10, 2006: Luna is hit by a tugboat propellor and sadly killed, at the age of nearly 7.
*~*In Honour of Luna*~*
Poems, drawings, photos, and everything else will show up here. Thanks to everyone who sends something in!
Alanna's tribute to Luna. Thanks so much to Alanna from Orca-Live for these beautiful photos!
"Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there, I did not die...I am the diamonds glint on snow"-Jennifer's tribute to Luna. Thanks so much to her for these amazing photos and such a beautiful tribute!
This beautifully photoshopped piece of art is John and Rene's tribute to Luna. Much thanks to them for sending it in!
These two beautiful pieces of art were sent to me by Osmia, by her daughters. The top one is called "Luna Alone", by Bee, and the bottom one is called "Luna Re-United" by Snowdragon. Thanks so much all of you for sending them in!
Link: While this isn't technically a tribute, for a beautiful Luna story and photo, click HERE. Thanks to Elke for the link!
Elke: "Don't cry if I will be death..You know, that I come from
another star....If you will look at the night sky all stars will have little
bells and it will sounds like all stars would laugh..." a quote from the Little Prince
June:
In Gold River British Columbia,
Lives Luna a lonely young orca,
He plays with the boats,
And amuses the folks,
But with orca is where he oughta.
Ingrid: Ingrid sent me this beautiful photoshop tribute to Luna. Thank you so much!