Chapter 3

I felt more hopeful when we got back to SJS. We all piled into the shed they used for an office, and Mom and Arden got on the phones. In no time at all, the office had filled up with officials.

There were two scientists from NOAA—the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. I knew that they were kind of like the government representatives for the ocean. Someone from the Washington governor’s office showed up too. There was also a man from San Juan Islands Oceanarium. Cooper explained briefly that it was a big local marine park. I’d heard of it before, but we didn’t have one anywhere near Charleston.

Arden filled them in on everything we’d seen out on the boat. Then everyone started talking, passing papers back and forth.

Finally the governor’s rep, a tall man with short, curly hair, spoke up. “So what are you proposing?” he asked.

Mom shot Arden a look. “We’d like support for a rescue, followed by a short-term rehabilitation and the return of August to his pod,” she said. “We’ll hopefully have located them by the time he’s ready to be released.”

There was a rustle in the room. I didn’t see anything crazy about what Mom had said, but the other adults were glancing at each other uneasily.

“You know as well as we do that an orca has never been successfully released back into the wild,” the Oceanarium rep said. “Five years ago, Oceanarium released an orca that had been a part of our shows. He was too comfortable with humans. He kept coming back to us for food and companionship. A year later, he died of pneumonia.”

An angry look crossed Mom’s face. “I know the orca you’re talking about, Davis. We all do.” She looked deeply upset as she spoke. “That whale was raised in captivity by Oceanarium after being kidnapped from his pod as a calf. He spent his entire life at your theme park, living in unnatural conditions in tanks and pools and being forced to perform. You only released him after intense public pressure. Of course he didn’t survive! He’d never lived in the wild. He was never given the chance!”

The air in the room felt charged, as if filled with electricity. Davis and the government official glanced at each other uneasily. But the others were nodding, their lips pressed together.

“Whoa,” Cooper muttered on one side of me. “Your mom really doesn’t like Oceanarium.”

“I know,” I whispered back. “But can you blame her?”

“I’d like to request the orphan be rehabbed at Oceanarium,” Davis said, ignoring Mom’s fury. “He can’t possibly be returned to his pod after contact with humans. It’s never been done! What you’re suggesting could kill him. Our facilities are state-of-the-art. We’ll take good care of him.”

Mom shook her head, but before she could speak again, Arden jumped in. “SJS has one of the only wild pens in the country,” she said. “It’s big enough to house August for a short time. NOAA can oversee the rehab. He’ll be released as soon as he’s well and we find his pod. We’re still working out the details, but we want a chance to try.”

“What about the danger to his life?” Davis challenged.

Mom didn’t say anything. She looked at Arden.

“You’re right that this is risky,” Arden said quietly. “And it’s true that an orca has never been successfully released into the wild after rehab by humans. August could die from stress or injury during the process. But if we do nothing, he’ll die slowly from disease and starvation. And at Oceanarium, he’ll be condemned to a life as a trained animal. That’s inhumane.”

Davis opened his mouth to speak, clearly ready to defend Oceanarium. But before he could, the government official held up his hand.

“Thank you, all,” he said. “I understand this is a difficult issue. We clearly all feel strongly about it. For the time being, the state will support NOAA in a rescue. The orca will be taken to SJS for rehab and release. Let’s make the necessary preparations.”

Mom, Arden, Cooper, Olivia, and I all broke into huge smiles. Olivia squeezed my hand. Success!

Not everyone was as happy, though. Davis swept his papers into a pile and left the room without saying goodbye to anyone. But in the doorway, he paused and gave Mom a long stare. I had an uneasy feeling that we hadn’t seen the last of him—or Oceanarium.

Out in the strong Washington wind, Cooper, Olivia, and I crunched down the gravel path after Arden. Mom and the NOAA reps stayed behind to make calls.

We scrambled down a long, winding path leading from the cliff on which SJS was perched to the small cove with the wild pen. The SJS boats were pulled up on the sand.

Arden started untangling a length of rope. “We’ll take two of these small boats to the rescue, so let’s clear some of this stuff out.”

“Arden, is Oceanarium really that bad?” I asked her as we clustered around one of the small boats. “That guy said their place is state-of-the-art. Would it be so awful if August had to go there?”

“Oceanarium is a company whose goal is to make money,” Arden said. She looked as upset as Mom had sounded. “They capture young mammals, like bottlenose dolphins and orcas, plus other animals like seals, and train them to do tricks in shows. It’s not natural for the animals, and it’s cruel. But Oceanarium argues that these animals are safer in captivity. And they do have vets on staff and money to spend.”

Arden paused and looked at us, like she wanted us to understand how important her words were. “But a tank is still a tank, no matter how nice it is.”