On August 15th, we held a Whale Sanctuary Family Day Camp in Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, just 15 minutes from the sanctuary site in Port Hilford. The idea was one that I’d had for a while and I was waiting for the right time.
I was part of the Free Willy generation, the movement that got children involved globally to help the orca Keiko. Since the beginning of my involvement with the Whale Sanctuary Project, I have wanted to share with the local children not only my love for whales but also the importance of a sanctuary. I am a big believer that children learn through play. And now, with COVID-19 restrictions beginning to lift in our region and everyone in need of a little pick-me-up, it seemed like the perfect time to hold a whale camp for young people and their families.
Welcome to the Whale Sanctuary Family Day Camp.
So, I put it together with my friend and colleague Amanda Babin, the Whale Sanctuary Project’s environmental analyst, and it was wonderful to see so many locals come out and enjoy a fun and educational afternoon. Throughout the event I had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with the children. I listened to what they had to say, saw their beautiful artwork, and answered their questions.
That evening, I sat in awe of the conversations I’d had with them. One seven-year-old boy, for example, had told me: “When you are old, I will make sure the whales are looked after because everyone should help each other out.” It made me smile that his wanting to help had no limits and that it made no difference to him whether someone is human or cetacean.
Our children are growing up in a time when science is telling us that keeping these animals in concrete tanks is not only an injustice but in many ways a death sentence. It’s black-and-white to these young people that the whales are not happy or healthy, so they shouldn’t be kept in those situations. The wisdom and feelings these young people shared with me reinforced what I have known from the first time I heard about Port Hilford being considered as a possible location: that Guysborough County, Nova Scotia has what is needed to help a sanctuary thrive.
It was my generation that rallied to bring the sanctuary to Port Hilford, and it will be their generation that eventually takes over and keeps it going. We can all rest easy knowing that the whales who are our future neighbors will be in the best possible hands: hands that are guided by science and led by the heart!
Amy Simon is the Whale Sanctuary Project’s communications assistant in the Port Hilford area. She lives in nearby Aspen, Nova Scotia, where she volunteers with a number of animal rescues and does some rehabilitation at her own home. She is an early childhood educator and a certified medical lab assistant.