‘Give me a minute,’ said Bridget. ‘Just trying to feed him a few fish first.’ Dolphin twenty-two, now named Echo, had spent the last two weeks recovering in the centre’s veterinary compound. His quarantine period was over and Zoe was impatient for his release from the hospital tank into the little lagoon next door.
Mirrhi raced up and down the dividing wall, making a series of loud clicking noises, well aware something was up. Zoe checked there were enough fish in her bucket and whistled Mirrhi over. Might as well do her eye-drops while they waited. A little stream ran into the lagoon, and the fresh water hurt the dolphins’ eyes.
She kneeled down and gave the signal for Mirrhi to lie on her side. Two soothing saline drops in the right eye, wait a minute, and then give a fish. Zoe repeated the process with the left eye, then asked Mirrhi to roll over and expose her belly, a behaviour useful when vet checks and ultrasounds were needed. Zoe checked her blowhole for mucous or bad breath. Good, salty and slightly fishy, but on the whole sweet and clear.
‘Echo won’t eat,’ called Bridget. ‘Not even for Josh. He’s too excited. I think we’ll just do a general health check and let him out. Maybe his appetite will improve when he’s got company.’
It had been a battle getting Echo to eat dead fish. For the first few days he hadn’t recognised them as food at all, and had required force-feeding, a distressing task for all concerned – and a dangerous one. Slipping fish safely past razor-sharp teeth wasn’t easy.
It was Josh who’d first coaxed him to eat. He staged a vigil beside Echo’s tank, showing great patience and spotting subtle indications of feeding behaviour that the others had missed. Whenever Echo swam slightly closer to a fish, or turned his head towards it or even relaxed his jaw, Josh was there, wriggling the fish enticingly in front of him.
At first this devotion irritated Echo, and Zoe worried that Josh might be bitten. Although she was confident of Mirrhi, Koko and Baby now, she still couldn’t entirely shake off her fear of the other dolphins, especially Kane. But as it turned out, it was this very irritation that finally caused Echo to feed. One day he snapped in annoyance, and Josh boldly thrust a fish between his jaws. From then on it was plain sailing, and a heart-warming friendship developed between the two of them.
The longer Zoe spent in the job, the more she came to understand that Josh wasn’t just a hanger-on at the Reef Centre. He had a crush on Bridget; that was plain. He loved to be around her, and she had used this closeness to coach him. He must have been a star pupil, because Josh was a capable trainer in his own right.
Zoe had returned to the centre one rainy evening to collect the iPod that she’d left behind. To her surprise, Josh was at the lagoon, working solo with the dolphins in the drizzle and fading light. The sleek creatures were spinning and leaping in a dazzling display. Nobody else was around.
At first Josh tried to make her leave. ‘Don’t watch me.’
‘I won’t bother you, Josh, really. I’ll just sit over here. Please let me stay.’
His mouth still scowled, but a small smile played around his eyes. He was weakening. ‘Please Josh . . .’
‘You can watch, but don’t talk about it to anybody.’
‘Why not? You’re working wonders . . . all right, all right,’ said Zoe as the scowl took over his face again. ‘I won’t say a word, promise.’
She took a seat out of the rain in the little covered grandstand, while Josh returned to his task. He was trying to get Kane to ring a bell by pushing a pedal attached to a post at the edge of the water. Bridget had been attempting to teach Kane this same trick for weeks without success. It seemed straightforward enough. When Kane approached the lever, Bridget would reinforce the behaviour with whistles and fish. This worked up to a point. Time and again, the dolphin swam nearer and nearer. His nose hovered tantalisingly close . . . and then he turned back. Bridget’s training for this trick had come to a standstill.
Josh slipped some sardines into his belt and slid quietly into the water. Prickling fear crawled down Zoe’s spine as Kane torpedoed towards him. Ramming dolphins could break ribs, collapse lungs or knock a swimmer unconscious. She still couldn’t get Tião, the Brazilian bottlenose, out of her mind. Although, his victim had been drunk and reportedly tried to force a cigarette into Tião’s blowhole. More than enough reason to retaliate.
Kane swerved at the final moment, sidling up alongside Josh and allowing himself to be scratched. Zoe moved in for a closer look. Josh was standing in the shallow water with one hand over the lever, so Kane couldn’t reach it. Why? Kane nosed his belt, as if to check that he still had sardines, and then began his customary dance of almost but not quite around the pedal. Sometimes he hung stationary in the water just a millimetre away, close enough for Bridget to have rewarded him. But Josh kept the sardines in his waist pouch. After a few minutes Kane impatiently nosed the hand Josh held over the lever and was instantly rewarded with a fish. He did it again, knocking Josh’s hand harder this time and ringing the bell at the same time. Again he was rewarded. After a few more repetitions, Josh withdrew his hand and put it behind his back. Something must have clicked. Kane pushed the lever anyway and got his sardine. Soon the bell was ringing out each time Josh put his hand behind his back.
Zoe thought it through. By rewarding Kane when he almost touched the lever, Bridget had been teaching him just that – to almost touch it. They’d reached a teasing impasse. But Josh had thought of an ingenious way to bridge the communication gap between human and dolphin. And it took him just half an hour to do it.
Since then, Zoe often stayed back to watch him. In fact, she’d learned more about dolphin training from Josh in the last week than she had from Bridget. And Zoe learned something else as well. An extraordinary bond existed between Josh and the young female Mirrhi. It wasn’t apparent at first. Shy Mirrhi hung back while Josh worked with the rest of the dolphins. Once he ran out of fish, the others quickly lost interest and wandered away. Josh then donned a mask and snorkel, and dived into the water. This was Mirrhi’s cue to play.
At first Josh lay quietly at the surface, face underwater, watching Mirrhi as she scooted about beneath him. Then he began to swim, matching her speed, twisting this way and that to mirror her movements. Or did Mirrhi mirror him? It was impossible to tell, they were so in synch – their dance was graceful, hypnotising to watch. The two of them played with a beach ball. They took turns sinking with the ball beneath their bellies, then letting it rocket to the surface for a game of keepings off. They whistled and blew bubbles. Zoe could have sworn Mirrhi was laughing. They swam in circles, creating whirlpools, pushing toys into the centre to see them spin. This wasn’t training or conditioning or enrichment. There were no whistles or fish rewards. This was play, pure and simple: a joyful, authentic connection between kindred spirits of different species, revelling in each other’s company.
When Josh and Mirrhi started taking turns to ring the bell, Zoe slipped away. The pair’s bond was so close, so intimate, that being there had felt like an intrusion. Josh didn’t notice her leave. And as the bell rang out again and again across the empty park, a great wave of loneliness had swept her up and brought her to tears.
Mirrhi emitted a series of whistles, loud enough to bring Zoe’s thoughts back to the present, though a sense of loss still lingered. The young dolphin tilted her head and trained a large, dark eye upon her. ‘I’ve got a new friend for you,’ said Zoe. ‘So play nice.’ She pulled the handle, raising a hydraulic gate that separated the hospital tank from the lagoon. Echo emerged reluctantly from his pool, urged on by Bridget and Josh, suspicion showing in each line of his sleek body.
Mirrhi pounced, scooting round him at great speed, slapping her tail and clicking in wild excitement, while he cruised around the perimeter of the lagoon, cautiously exploring his new surroundings. Josh emerged from the hospital compound and sat down at the water’s edge. Mirrhi sped over for a pat and a few fish, then splashed him hard several times, before returning to her new playmate. ‘That’ll teach you for paying so much attention to Echo,’ laughed Zoe. ‘I think Mirrhi’s jealous.’
They watched the young dolphins for a while, on the lookout for any signs of aggression. Echo seemed intimidated at times by Mirrhi’s enthusiastic advances, but otherwise the introduction was a success. In fact, Mirrhi was clearly trying to help the newcomer, showing him around the lagoon, bringing him her favourite toys, and even passing him a stray fish that she found in the shallows. Echo snapped it up and they all clapped.
‘A perfect pair,’ said Bridget. ‘Perhaps we’ll hear the patter of little fins in the future.’
‘Echo will be back in the wild long before that,’ said Zoe.
‘That’s the plan, of course,’ said Bridget. ‘But his red blood cell count is still down. We’ll have to get to the bottom of that before releasing him.’
‘But —’ Zoe stopped herself. Bridget was right, of course. No point returning a sick dolphin to Turtle Reef. Disappointing, though. Every day Echo spent in captivity, dependent on them, eating dead fish, would make his return to the wild that much harder. ‘I was thinking,’ said Zoe, ‘about the others.’ Her mind’s eye could see the wild dolphins of Lady Elizabeth Island. Leaping for joy, surfing Flipper’s bow wave, spiralling into the boundless deep. How badly she wanted that freedom for these dolphins. ‘Mirrhi, for instance. Are you certain she can’t be released? I’ll do some research on similar cases if you like, successful releases after prolonged captivity. Find some precedents.’ The words flowed from her. ‘I know you said she still has seizures, but she hasn’t had any since I’ve been here, has she? What does George say? Could we get him to re-evaluate her? And then there are the spinners —’
Bridget put up a hand, her smile bittersweet. ‘Heartbreaking, isn’t it? Spending so much time and energy rescuing these gorgeous creatures, nursing them back to health, then falling at the last hurdle.’ Her expression grew thoughtful. ‘Tell you what, why don’t I take you to lunch? We can talk about it more then.’
Bridget went inside to order. Zoe sat out on the pub verandah, staring out to the bright sky and sea. She was flattered by the lunch invitation. Bridget was usually so busy, either with members of the public or with the administrative side of things. Ridiculous, to have a scientist of Bridget’s experience and standing wasted in the office or talking to kids about turtles. She’d studied at the Marine Mammal Institute of California. She’d spent two years as a fellow at the Centre for Marine Science at Curtin University, investigating dugong populations in Shark Bay. It would be impossible to be more impressed by anybody’s research credentials. Zoe had hoped that they might work together, even become friends. So far that hadn’t happened. Maybe this lunch was the beginning of a turnaround.
Bridget returned with a mineral water and Zoe’s iced tea. Funny, since that first day with Quinn she’d become a fan.
‘Let me just say,’ said Bridget, ‘how impressed I am by your work here so far.’
A warm flush of pride and pleasure spread from Zoe’s neck, up to her cheeks. ‘I haven’t had the chance to tell you, Bridget, but I’ve finished mapping the seagrass beds in the bay’s southern quadrant, based on those aerial photographs you gave me. I can start spot sampling in the field next week.’ Zoe paused as Bridget raised her brows in approval. ‘But the news isn’t good,’ she said. ‘Compared to that ten-year-old study by Kirkwood, seagrass cover looks like it’s down by, maybe, forty per cent.’
Bridget frowned. ‘That’s a worry. The mapping data you’ve sent me so far is meticulously done, by the way. It’s first class.’
It was what she’d been waiting for, a one-on-one like this with Bridget, discussing quadrants and maps and research. ‘When do we start the tag-and-release program?’ asked Zoe. ‘That’s when we’ll find out how the dugongs are really faring. At the moment we’re just guessing.’
‘You’re keen, Zoe,’ said Bridget. ‘I love that, I do, but first things first. We need those seagrass maps finished before we move on.’
‘The field sampling as well?’
Bridget nodded. ‘No point tagging animals without solid data about their local environment.’
Zoe shielded her eyes from the glare of the water, fighting to hide her disappointment. ‘But at the rate I’m going, the mapping could take months. How about an extra day a week for me to work on it? Or two half days? I could head out after the shark show.’
‘That would be great,’ agreed Bridget. ‘But unfortunately I can’t spare you, especially now we’ve got those three baby pelicans on top of everything else. Either you or Karen have to be there when I’m not.’ Bridget lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ‘Just between you and me, you’re much better with the animals than Karen. She doesn’t have your gift.’
Zoe felt the tell-tale flush across her neck again. Gift? Bridget thought she had a gift?
‘The other thing I love about you,’ continued Bridget, ‘is your dedication to returning our rescues to the wild. And I share that dedication, I really do. Look at last month. Three cormorants, five rays and two turtles – nursed back to health with your help, given the all-clear by George and released where they were found. That’s what we’re here for.’
Zoe could hear the but coming, felt the flush fading.
‘But sometimes it’s just not possible.’ Bridget leaned forwards, her face solemn. ‘Let me assure you, no dolphin fit for release spends one day more at the Reef Centre than is absolutely necessary.’
‘Of course,’ said Zoe. ‘I didn’t mean to imply they did. It’s just that I saw my first wild dolphins last week and, well . . . they were such free spirits. I’d love our dolphins to experience that again.’
Bridget didn’t speak for a while, seemingly lost in thought. ‘Let me tell you a story,’ she said at last. ‘Last January, Archie brought me a young dolphin he found tangled in a shark net, terribly malnourished. We named her Hope. I nursed her round the clock, hardly leaving her side, neglecting my other duties, even neglecting Quinn.’ This last one was apparently the greatest lapse of all. Bridget’s eyes misted over. ‘I can’t tell you how much I loved that dolphin. Hope was like my child.’
‘Did she pull through?’
‘She did, with a lot of love and care. I wanted to release her, but George wasn’t so sure. Her red blood cell count was still low, and he wanted to wait.’ Bridget drew a deep sigh. ‘I wouldn’t hear of it. Told him it was her birthright to be free. So we took her eighty kilometres up the coast to where Archie first found her. She chased the boat when we let her go, trying to follow us.’ Bridget took a sip of her drink and Zoe again found the glare of the sky and sea too much. ‘We found Hope last month, washed up on Kiawa beach, just a few hundred metres from the centre. She’d come back, you see. She’d tried to find me.’ Bridget paused, as if it was too painful to continue.
‘Was she . . .?’
Bridget nodded grimly. ‘The autopsy showed that she’d died from a combination of starvation and infected shark bites.’
‘Oh no.’
‘Hope wasn’t as strong and capable as I’d thought. From that day on I vowed to never make the same mistake again.’ Bridget lowered her head; a moment later a tear rolled down her cheek. The sight moved Zoe to tears herself. At that moment their connection was tangible. She and Bridget, wildlife-warriors together, fighting for the animals of Turtle Reef.
A voice from behind them made Zoe jump. ‘What’s wrong?’ Quinn pulled up a chair, concern written all over his face. ‘Are you two crying?’
Zoe had barely seen Quinn since that day in Bundaberg two weeks ago when she’d asked him to let Josh ride. The conversation had left Quinn furious, she knew. Furious and hurting, but Zoe had no regrets. Somebody had to tell him how unfair he was being. Somebody had to be an advocate for Josh.
But her boldness had come at a cost. Quinn no longer dropped by the guest house on her days off with an invitation to go riding. He didn’t ask her up to the house for a cup of tea, made the old fashioned way in a china pot. When they met by accident in the garden, he didn’t point out where the wallaby with twin joeys was hiding, or show off a new flower spike on the purple ground orchids. Zoe missed these simple connections and was lonely without them. Kiawa wasn’t a friendly town. If it wasn’t for Leo Macalister, she’d have no kind of social life at all.
Quinn rested his gaze on her. There was no anger in his eyes this time, only warmth. She turned away, blinking back tears, pushing away a worm of guilt. He’d be wilder than ever if he knew what she and Josh were doing every morning. She wiped her face. ‘Bridget was just telling me about —’
‘Let’s change the subject to something more cheerful,’ said Bridget.
‘One of my jokes should do it,’ he said. ‘Why did the cane farmer win a Nobel prize?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Bridget.
Zoe shrugged. ‘Me either.’
‘Because he was out standing in his field.’ Silence. Bridget looked at Zoe and they both groaned, but the sombre moment had passed. ‘That’s what I wanted to see.’ Quinn reached for his girlfriend’s hand. ‘A smile on that beautiful face.’
‘Your jokes are so bad they always make me smile.’ Bridget touched his face in a tender gesture. Zoe looked away. All this lovey-doveyness was making her sentimental. She’d never felt special to somebody like that. The yearning passed almost as quickly as it had come. Quinn kissed Bridget softly on the lips, and Zoe examined her feelings. Good, no twinge of jealousy or sadness. Time to concentrate on the important stuff. Next week she’d start sampling the seagrass beds off Turtle Reef. Now that was the sort of satisfaction that she could rely on.