When i was a little girl, i used to love whales. Specially the blue ones. And they were very “common”. People were always talking about them. The whales were just like birds, like monkeys, like us. Not in extinction. For me, it was something unthinkable, the extinction of the blue whales. For an innocent kid, the world was a perfect place, full of respect and love. I didn’t know what was happening every single day.
Once, i went to Sea World. I loved it. I was totally obsessed with the whales and the dolphins and with how they looked so happy. Again, i didn’t know how things worked “behind the scenes”.
I used to see pictures of blue whales at school. Those beautiful, magical, magnificent and giant creatures. I used to imagine how it would be to swim with them, how it would be if we could be best friends. I wanted to draw my pretty whales, even knowing i wouldn’t be able to put all that beauty in a paper.
Then, i watched Moby Dick. I was devastated. I threw up and cried for the whole day. I asked my mom:
“It’s just a movie, right?”
“Well, honey, a part of the story is fictional but in real life, people really kill whales because of money....”
“And it happens with blue whales too, mommy?” (Moby Dick is about a sperm whale)
I never finished watching the movie. And i was never brave enough to read the book. By the way, do you know when it was written? In 1851. It means that since more than 168 years ago, whales have been captured and murdered with no mercy.
In the beginning of this text, i said that for me, years ago, the extinction of the blue whales was something unthinkable. Well, what i didn’t know was that they were already endangered. When i discovered the truth, i was sure that i HAD to do something. And i did what i could. But on July 17th 2018, i read an article about a group of icelandic fishermen who were found with a dead blue whale. 2018. Two thousand and fucking eighteen. Last fucking year.
This shit is not over. The war we used to fight for our whales is not over. Our job is not done. It will never be. Not if we stop doing it. Please, save the sea life. Please, help these animals.
