One of the headlining stories of the last couple weeks was about the mother orca whale who carried her dead calf around for seventeen days. The world watched with great awe and sadness as she continuously attempted to push the calf to the surface to take a breath. It never did. While it’s not uncommon for orca’s to have stillborn calfs or for them to die shortly after birth, it is uncommon for the mother to not let go for such a long period of time. Dating back to the 1960’s, the longest period noted for a mother to hold on was one week. This case far exceeded what is normal.
The members of Tahlequah’s (the mother orca) pod supported her as she grieved. They even took turns carrying the calf so she could rest and eat. They traveled together for more than 1,000 miles supporting her through the long haul. They stayed by her side and did what was necessary to keep their entire pod (usually 5-30 and sometimes up to 100) healthy. Tahlequah was not ever left to carry her burden alone.
Ever wonder why geese fly in a “V” formation? There are several reasons:
- As each goose flaps its wings it creates an “uplift” for the birds that follow. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.
- When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.
- When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.
- When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.
- The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
I have always been impressed with the solidarity their flight pattern depicts and sure didn’t think there could be such reasons why they fly the way they do. Like the orca pods, flocks of geese also do what it takes to keep the entire flock healthy and moving.
Several years ago, a friend and I took a walk in a nature conservancy in Florida. We headed down a boardwalk that led to a five story tower overlooking the waterway below. We had a bird’s eye view of the clear waters. As we enjoyed the view, we took notice of a school of fish moving through the water in what appeared to be one unit. There had to be 100 fish swooshing around, turn by turn, as if they we were being directed or driven by some unseen force. This was Florida, there were sharks in the water. I can only imagine these fish were operating as one unit to appear larger and therefore less likely to end up in the belly of a shark. Their movement seemed to flow without effort and was quite beautiful to watch.
Small birds have been known to behave the same way. I suspect for similar reasons. They have been captured flying with such choreographed movement it is completely mesmerizing to watch.
The animal kingdom has countless names for the gathering of species; pods, flocks, litters, packs, droves, herds, etc. Humans have one; tribes.
Sebastian Junger, a US Army combat veteran and leadership expert states, “We have a strong instinct to belong to small groups defined by clear purpose and understanding--"tribes." This tribal connection has been largely lost in modern society, but regaining it may be the key to our psychological survival.”
In times of distress, the orcas, the geese, the fish and birds act together to maintain their survival. They don’t question their actions, they naturally help carry the load for those in need - for the greater good of their communities. Seems our animal friends are wise. As humans, we have a voice. We can speak to one another and ask for or offer help. We don’t understand the language of the orcas or the geese, but it’s clear they understand when there is a need to help one another. What is spoken between them is beneficial to the survival of all in their collective “tribes”.
From his book, Tribe: “On Homecoming and Belonging”, Junger says, “If you want to make a society work, then you don’t keep underscoring the places where you’re different—you underscore your shared humanity. Disasters, he proposed, create a "community of sufferers" that allow individuals to experience an immensely reassuring connection to others.”
It doesn’t have to be a disaster that creates a community, yet, in our broken places is where we are most likely to find our greatest connection to others. Adversity wears many faces; death, illness, injury, divorce, financial stress, etc. When we find others who have shared similar experiences, we can speak the same language. We can offer a helping hand or our personal wisdom to contribute to the survival of our tribe, generally one at a time, yet it promises to have a ripple effect. Witnessing the thriving that comes when we help carry the load encourages future action.
Who are the people in your tribe? Can you sense when someone is in need? Do you take action? When the orca mother was in need, the pod stepped up. Their instinctive actions to carry her load contributed to the overall strength and survival of the pod. When a goose falls out of formation, it will feel the resistance of flying alone and quickly rejoins the flock to take advantage of the power of the one in front of it.
We need each other, unquestionably. We should dare to share life with each other, to offer ourselves in the way we were created to. The animals are great teachers - watch them for a bit and see.
