Killer whales of Eden, New South Wales

Last updated

The killer whale known as Old Tom swims alongside a whaleboat, flanking a whale calf. The boat is being towed by a harpooned whale (not visible here). Killer Whale (Old Tom) and whalers.jpeg
The killer whale known as Old Tom swims alongside a whaleboat, flanking a whale calf. The boat is being towed by a harpooned whale (not visible here).

The killers of Eden or Twofold Bay killers [1] were a group of killer whales (Orcinus orca) known for their co-operation with human hunters of cetacean species. They were seen near the port of Eden in southeastern Australia between 1840 and 1930. A pod of killer whales, which included amongst its members a distinctive male called Old Tom, would assist whalers in hunting baleen whales. [2] [3] The killer whales would find target whales, shepherd them into Twofold Bay or neighbouring regions of coast, and then often swim many kilometres away from the location of the hunt to alert the whalers at their cottage to their presence and often help to kill the whales.

Contents

Indigenous Australians

The local indigenous people, the Yuin tribe, believed the killer whales to be their totem animal and reincarnations of their ancestors. [1] [3] Yuin elder Guboo Ted Thomas heard stories of his grandfather riding on the backs of killer whales. Thomas and his daughter Lynne describe Yuin cooperating with dolphins (cetaceans, like killer whales) to drive fish to shore where they could be speared. [1] Local historian Barry Smith speculates that the black-and-white ceremonial dress of Koori warriors is based on the killer whale. [1]

Documentarian Greg McKee has been told by Yuin elders that Aboriginal Australians had a spiritual association with whales effectively dating back to the last ice age. Long ago their ancestors used to hunt game in areas of dry land presently covered by sea. These ancestors took on the form of killer whales and so continue to hunt in their traditional hunting grounds. The references to dry land now covered by sea suggests the last ice ages when the sea level was lower than present more than 10,000 years ago. [4]

While collaborative hunting associations between dolphins and humans occur in many traditional fishing communities, they are rare between killer whales and humans, and particularly Western cultures. Zoologist and historian Danielle Clode describes how the pre-existing cultural and spiritual connection between the Yuin people and the killer whales of Twofold Bay allowed the unique collaboration between European whalers and killer whales to develop because Indigenous crew on the whale boats refused to allow killer whales to be harmed or killed during whale hunts. Clode's book, Killers in Eden, documented the historical accounts for this association including observations recorded by early whaling station manager Oswald Brierly, anthropologist Robert Hamilton Mathews and Yuin elder Percy Mumbulla. [2]

Davidson whalers and "the law of the tongue"

Old Tom's role was commonly to alert the human whalers to the presence of a baleen whale in the bay by breaching or tailslapping at the mouth of the Kiah River, which is one of the smallest rivers, where the Davidson family had their tiny cottages. This role endeared him to the whalers and led to the idea that he was "leader of the pack," although such a role was more likely taken by a little known female (as is typical among killer whales). [3] The whale known as "Stranger" described as a leader of "stranger's mob" was a large 30 ft male.

After the harpooning, some of the killer whales would even grab the ropes in their teeth and aid the whalers in hauling. The skeleton of Old Tom is on display at the Eden Killer Whale Museum, and significant wear marks still exist on his teeth from repeatedly grabbing fast-moving ropes. [3]

In return for their help, the whalers would anchor the carcass overnight [5] while the killer whales ate the tongue and lips of the whale, then haul it ashore. [3] [4] The arrangement is a rare example of mutualism between humans and killer whales. [3] The arrangement was called "the law of the tongue". [4] The killer whales would also feed on the many fish and birds that would show up to pick at the smaller scraps and runoff from the fishing.

Many of the Eden killer whales were individually known and named, often after Yuin whalers who had died. Some of best known killer whales included Tom (who died 15 September 1930), Hooky, Humpy (died 1926/7), Cooper, Typee (died 1901), Jackson, Stranger, Big Ben, Young Ben, Kinscher (female), Jimmy, Sharkey, Charlie Adgery, Brierly, Albert, Youngster, Walker, Flukey, Big Jack, Little Jack, Skinner, and Montague. [2] The probable structure and history of the pod during this period was reconstructed by zoologist Danielle Clode.

End of whaling arrangement

Killer whales became less common in Twofold Bay after a stranded whale was stabbed to death on Asling Beach in 1901. Only seven members of the once 30 strong pod returned the following year, with only a few lone males, including Old Tom and Hooky, returning after that. [2] An alternative theory is that the rest of the pod was killed by Norwegian whalers in Jervis Bay. [6]

Around the mid-1920s, retired pastoralist John Logan, his young daughter Margaret and third-generation whaler George Davidson were aboard White Heather, Logan's motorised yacht, after a whale chase. The Logans were the Davidsons' closest neighbours and the White Heather was often used to tow whales and whaleboats back to the whaling station after a kill. [1] Old Tom had earlier forced a small whale to the surface, where Davidson's crew had harpooned it. [1] Because he believed the buoyed carcass would be lost to an approaching storm, Logan attempted to bring the carcass ashore without Old Tom eating the tongue and lips. [6] Old Tom apparently grabbed the tow rope in his mouth and lost some teeth in the struggle, [4] with Brooks recounting that Logan said "Oh God, what have I done?" when he realised that Old Tom had lost teeth. [1]

When Old Tom's corpse washed ashore in 1930, the mouth had abscesses from missing teeth and he may have died of starvation. [1] [4] [6] His death was reported in the 18 September 1930 issue of The Sydney Morning Herald as "King of the Killers". [1]

Logan provided the premises for the Eden Killer Whale Museum, which still has Old Tom's skeleton, "partly out of guilt". [1] [6]

Three killer whale pods were observed during one week in 2010—roughly on the 80th anniversary of Old Tom's death. [4]

Documentation of the phenomenon

The unique behaviour of killer whales in the area was recorded in the 1840s by whaling overseer Sir Oswald Brierly in his extensive diaries. [7] [8] It was recorded in numerous publications over the period [9] [10] and witnesses included Australian members of Parliament. The behaviour was recorded on movie film in 1910 by C.B. Jenkins and C.E. Wellings and publicly projected in Sydney, although the film is now missing and believed to have been damaged in the 1930s when the bank vaults in which they were kept were flooded.[ citation needed ]

The story of the Davidson family and the killer whales was dramatised by Tom Mead in the book Killers of Eden. [11]

In 2002, zoologist and science historian Danielle Clode wrote a nonfiction account of the story, [2] which was made into an Australian Broadcasting Corporation documentary in 2004, Killers in Eden. [12]

While co-operative hunting between humans and wild cetaceans exists in other parts of the world, the relationship between whalers and killer whales in Eden appears to be unique, despite the widespread co-occurrence of whalers and killer whales elsewhere.

The Eden killer whale pod is also commemorated in the Australian National Museum, with full sized models used as part of the display. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orca</span> Largest living species of dolphin

The orca, or killer whale, is a toothed whale that is the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. It is the only extant species in the genus Orcinus. Orcas are recognizable by their black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, they are found in diverse marine environments, from Arctic to Antarctic regions to tropical seas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whaling</span> Hunting of whales

Whaling is the hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16th century, it had become the principal industry in the Basque coastal regions of Spain and France. The whaling industry spread throughout the world and became very profitable in terms of trade and resources. Some regions of the world's oceans, along the animals' migration routes, had a particularly dense whale population and became targets for large concentrations of whaling ships, and the industry continued to grow well into the 20th century. The depletion of some whale species to near extinction led to the banning of whaling in many countries by 1969 and to an international cessation of whaling as an industry in the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whale</span> Informal group of large marine mammals

Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and porpoises. Dolphins and porpoises may be considered whales from a formal, cladistic perspective. Whales, dolphins and porpoises belong to the order Cetartiodactyla, which consists of even-toed ungulates. Their closest non-cetacean living relatives are the hippopotamuses, from which they and other cetaceans diverged about 54 million years ago. The two parvorders of whales, baleen whales (Mysticeti) and toothed whales (Odontoceti), are thought to have had their last common ancestor around 34 million years ago. Mysticetes include four extant (living) families: Balaenopteridae, Balaenidae, Cetotheriidae, and Eschrichtiidae. Odontocetes include the Monodontidae, Physeteridae, Kogiidae, and Ziphiidae, as well as the six families of dolphins and porpoises which are not considered whales in the informal sense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whale watching</span> Viewing cetaceans in their habitats

Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity, but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes. A study prepared for International Fund for Animal Welfare in 2009 estimated that 13 million people went whale watching globally in 2008. Whale watching generates $2.1 billion per annum in tourism revenue worldwide, employing around 13,000 workers. The size and rapid growth of the industry has led to complex and continuing debates with the whaling industry about the best use of whales as a natural resource.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sperm whale</span> Largest species of toothed whale

The sperm whale or cachalot is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia.

<i>Orcinus</i> Genus of oceanic mammals

Orcinus is a genus of Delphinidae, the family of carnivorous marine mammals known as dolphins. It includes the largest delphinid species, Orcinus orca, known as the orca or killer whale. Two extinct species are recognised, Orcinus paleorca and O. citoniensis, describing fossilised remains of the genus. The other extinct species O. meyeri is disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">False killer whale</span> Species of oceanic dolphin in the genus Pseudorca

The false killer whale is a species of oceanic dolphin that is the only extant representative of the genus Pseudorca. It is found in oceans worldwide but mainly in tropical regions. It was first described in 1846 as a species of porpoise based on a skull, which was revised when the first carcasses were observed in 1861. The name "false killer whale" comes from having a skull similar to the orca, or killer whale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cetacean stranding</span> Whales or dolphins getting stuck on a beach

Cetacean stranding, commonly known as beaching, is a phenomenon in which whales and dolphins strand themselves on land, usually on a beach. Beached whales often die due to dehydration, collapsing under their own weight, or drowning when high tide covers the blowhole. Cetacean stranding has occurred since before recorded history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cetology</span> The study of whales, dolphins, porpoises, and other cetaceans

Cetology or whalelore is the branch of marine mammal science that studies the approximately eighty species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises in the scientific order Cetacea. Cetologists, or those who practice cetology, seek to understand and explain cetacean evolution, distribution, morphology, behavior, community dynamics, and other topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eden, New South Wales</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Eden is a coastal town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is 478 kilometres (297 mi) south of the state capital Sydney and is the most southerly town in New South Wales, located between Nullica Bay to the south and Calle Calle Bay, the northern reach of Twofold Bay, and built on undulating land adjacent to the third-deepest natural harbour in the southern hemisphere, and Snug Cove on its western boundary. At the 2016 census, Eden had a population of 3,151.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Tom (orca)</span> Killer whale known to Australian whalers

Old Tom was a male orca who cooperated with and assisted whalers in the port of Eden, New South Wales, on the southeast coast of Australia. Old Tom was believed to be the leader of a pod of orcas which helped the whalers by herding baleen whales into Twofold Bay. This pod was also known as "the killers of Eden".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twofold Bay</span> Bay in New South Wales, Australia

Twofold Bay is an open oceanic embayment that is located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whaling in Australia</span> Industry

Whaling in Australian waters began in 1791 when five of the 11 ships in the Third Fleet landed their passengers and freight at Sydney Cove and then left Port Jackson to engage in whaling and seal hunting off the coast of Australia and New Zealand. The two main species hunted by such vessels in the early years were right and sperm whales. Humpback, bowhead and other whale species would later be taken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thaua</span> Aboriginal Australian people of the south coast of New South Wales

The Thaua people, also spelt Thawa and Dhawa, and also referred to as Yuin (Djuin), are an Aboriginal Australian people living around the Twofold Bay area of the South Coast of New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sperm whaling</span> Human hunting of sperm whales

Sperm whaling is the human practice of hunting sperm whales, the largest toothed whale and the deepest-diving marine mammal species, for the oil, meat and bone that can be extracted from the cetaceans' bodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whale watching in New Zealand</span>

Whale watching in New Zealand is predominantly centered around the areas of Kaikōura and the Hauraki Gulf. Known as the 'whale capital', Kaikōura is a world-famous whale watching site, in particular for sperm whales which is currently the most abundant of large whales in New Zealand waters. The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park is also a significant whale watching area with a resident population of Bryde's Whales commonly viewed alongside other cetaceans Common Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins and Orca. Whale watching is also offered in other locations, often as eco-tours and in conjunction with dolphin watching. Land-based whale watching from New Zealand's last whaling station, which closed in 1964, is undertaken for scientific purposes, mostly by ex-whalers. Some compilations of sighting footages are available on YouTube.

Danielle Clode is an Australian author of literary nonfiction, history and children's books. She is an associate professor of creative writing at Flinders University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drift whale</span>

A drift whale is a cetacean mammal that has died at sea and floated into shore. This is in contrast to a beached or stranded whale, which reaches land alive and may die there or regain safety in the ocean. Most cetaceans that die, from natural causes or predators, do not wind up on land; most die far offshore and sink deep to become novel ecological zones known as whale falls. Some species that wash ashore are scientifically dolphins, i.e. members of the family Delphinidae, but for ease of use, this article treats them all as "drift whales". For example, one species notorious for mass strandings is the pilot whale, also known as "blackfish", which is taxonomically a dolphin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davidson Whaling Station</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Davidson Whaling Station is a heritage-listed former whaling station at Edrom, Bega Valley Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1896. The property is owned by the New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Whaling in Canada encompasses both aboriginal and commercial whaling, and has existed on all three Canadian oceans, Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic. The indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast have whaling traditions dating back millennia, and the hunting of cetaceans continues by Inuit. By the late 20th century, watching whales was a more profitable enterprise than hunting them.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "The king of the killers". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 September 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Danielle Clode (2002) Killers in Eden, Allen and Unwin ISBN   1-86508-652-5
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Toft, Klaus (Producer) (2007). Killers in Eden (DVD documentary). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 August 2009. ISBN R-105732-9.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Killer whales in Eden on anniversary of Old Tom's death". www.abc.net.au. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  5. ↑ "The Aboriginal whalers of Eden". ABC South East NSW. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Crew, Bec. "The Legend of Old Tom and the Gruesome "Law of the Tongue"". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  7. ↑ Pritchard, G.R. "Econstruction: The Nature/Culture Opposition in Texts about Whales and Whaling." Deakin University Ph.D. Thesis. 2004. Accessed 2009-06-21.
  8. ↑ Oswald Brierly (1842-8) Diaries at Twofold Bay and Sydney, State Library of New South Wales, MLA503-541
  9. ↑ H. S. Hawkins and R. H. Cook (1908) Whaling at Eden with some "killer" yarns, Lone Hand, 1 July, 3: 265-73
  10. ↑ E. J. Brady, (1909) The law of the tongue: Whaling, by compact, at Twofold Bay, Australia Today, 1 December: 37-9
  11. ↑ Tom Mead (1961) Killers of Eden, Angus and Robertson
  12. ↑ YouTube, Killers in Eden
  13. ↑ Scroope, Stephanie. "Orca whales installation". National Museum Australia. Retrieved 14 April 2024.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.