“This was the best experience of my life!” exulted the woman with tears in her eyes as the boat peeled away from the sparkling ocean still broiling from the force of the blue whale’s tail fluke as it kicked downwards for a deeper dive. A few dolphin zipped back and forth before deciding that surfing the bow and stern wake would be a more enjoyable option as we picked up speed. The impromptu whale watching encounter this fall a few miles off Santa Cruz Island in the Santa Barbara Channel had been a good one and all the more fun due to its unexpectedness. We’d been able to get a great view of the largest animal ever to have lived on the Earth which was accompanied this time by a pod of lively common dolphin. Most of the passengers were in awe of the blue whale as it cycled between breathing on the surface and feeding on krill deeper down in the water column. The sheer length and girth of the animal was a startling comparison when it chose to come so close to our smaller, 62 foot idling boat, easily dwarfing it. Interestingly, some definitely preferred watching the antics of the dolphin.
I acknowledged the passenger’s comments adding that we never get tired of these encounters too, especially as there are so few blue whales in the Northern hemisphere (about 4,000). As I made my way round the boat, I had several more conversations of a similar type. Often after viewing even just one or two dolphin, let alone whales, people are often deeply affected by the experience; many being moved to tears. Sometimes, individuals are at a loss for words and simply seem to need validation of how they are feeling. Of course, we naturalists and crew are happy to comply as we’ve all had similar feelings arise from contact with marine mammals.
True, seeing a creature like a hundred foot blue whale that weighs as many tons is an amazing encounter. Yet, the reactions of many people are often just as powerful even when viewing a small scattering of the much tinier 5-6 foot long common dolphin, lively and exuberant as they may be around a moving boat. Best experience of my life is quite a common description for those that can find the words. Many can’t. But why such a strong reaction? Is it simply due to seeing animals absent in everyday life? Is it due to something deeper? Are there positive benefits for people, and can tangible positive change result?
I decided to research the effects and/or benefits for humans that arise from contact between us and wild creatures. I was surprised by some of the findings.
In the recent study, Marine Wildlife Experiences and Beliefs: Towards Reciprocal Benefits, by Rachel Yerbury and William Boyd, the researchers wanted to see how people react to wildlife experiences and whether or not there would be any kind of reciprocal healing (healing of both creatures/environment and human conditions). There were three types of interaction with marine mammals: natural/wild, ecotourism/wild, and captive. They also wanted to see if prior beliefs and other factors such as age and gender would influence the encounters. The two basic beliefs in focus emanated from prior attitudes and experiences and were listed as “Human beliefs about nature, including the perception that humankind is dominant (anthropocentrism) or that all components of the earth are equally important (ecocentrism)…” the researchers also wanted to see if these beliefs would “influence the way that we interact with the world.” Of course, I’m drastically simplifying here, but the results were interesting.
There were more ecocentric encounters, especially when the participants had the opportunity to engage with wild animals in a natural environment, even if these were through organized tourist trips. There was a raise in anthropocentrism when animals were viewed in captivity. Gender and age were not as large factors as some may presume. My take-away from this study was that our beliefs do shape our encounters with wildlife which, as in the case of anthropocentrism (people are more important) brings about a division between humans and nature. In essence, it was what the person brings to the encounter that can enhance the emotional response to it, and if there is no real positive emotional response, then there can be no real love and stewardship from modern people to help preserve the oceans and the amazing creatures that live within it. It seems, not that surprisingly, this is best promoted through interactions with wild animals in nature and not wildlife parks or zoos.
I also came across a new term: Ecopsychology. There’s even courses of study in it. A good definition of the word is provided by Pacifica Graduate Institute which states that “Ecopsychology’s central goals are to heal the alienation of Western people from the natural environment and to examine and transform their modes of thinking and behaving that have led to the imperilment of ecosystems around the world.” It’s not a mainstream field of study although it seems to be gaining momentum and targets the division between the modern western style of living and the natural world; a split that indigenous peoples around the globe do not experience to such a degree. In fact, the institute goes on to warn that “the well-being of humans and the natural world are inextricably connected…” Never was a statement more pertinent than now.
With the amount of information continually presented by the media regarding the plight of the natural world and our responsibility to it, many people find themselves turning away from something so big. I recently read that one author when trying to have a conversation regarding the plight and looming death of the ocean, could only engage people for a maximum of 2 minutes before they changed the subject to something safer and less worrisome. This understanding and connection to nature pushed away and forgotten during our regular working lives surges back into a person’s consciousness when they engage with a wild marine mammal in its natural glory. Like a memory can be triggered by a familiar scent, renewed kinship and connection to nature is triggered by an emotion from being near a particular wild animal. And these emotions can be powerful even if unexpected and baffling.
Maybe that’s the true gift of a wild animal encounter- there’s just no hiding from our need to bridge the divide and reconnect in order to find some kind of love with both wild animals and our best, natural selves.
Rachel Yerbury, William Boyd, and Betty Weiler. Marine Wildlife Experiences and Beliefs: Towards Reciprocal Benefits. Ecopsychology Vol. 12, No. 3. Sep 2020.209-221.http://doi.org/10.1089/eco.2019.0068
