The Lonely Whale

(Seattle, WA) Everyone has likely heard of the recent incident in the Pacific Northwest where members of the Makah tribe illegally killed a whale. Outrage and disgust have been expressed by the media, conservation groups and politicians.

Most interesting to me is a letter to the editor of the Seattle Times which expresses outrage that the tribe didn't get to keep the whale.

I am most ashamed of our actions on the day the whale was killed. Had the Makah been left alone, they would have taken the whale back to the tribe. They would have said prayers over it, thanking it for its sacrifice so that they may live. Every part of that whale would have been used to sustain the tribe, without relying on outside help. Instead we took the hunters to jail, and the Coast Guard followed the whale until he died a lonely, unproductive death, and slid beneath the waves.

I wonder how the writer knew the whale was lonely.

Nevertheless, I agree. The tribe should have been allowed to keep the lonely whale. Then people could have eaten it instead of the slimy hagfish.