Ethelbert was a juvenile

orca The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopol ...

that surfaced in the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

near

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

in October 1931. The orca swam from the sea up the river. Being a rare sighting that far up the river, many sportsmen grabbed rifles and guns and began to shoot the whale to try and kill it for themselves. Julius L. Meier, the Governor of Oregon, ordered them to stop. Some thought the whale was healthy but others thought it was slowly dying and needed to be humanely put down. Ed Lessard, a former

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Jap ...

, and his son Joseph Lessard set out with

harpoon A harpoon is a long, spear-like projectile used in fishing, whaling, sealing, and other hunting to shoot, kill, and capture large fish or marine mammals such as seals, sea cows, and whales. It impales the target and secures it with barb or ...

s and killed the whale, who had gained the name Ethelbert. The body of the whale was retrieved by others and pickled in embalming fluid for preservation. Ethelbert was seized by the State of Oregon and later, through many legal battles going all the way to the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

, Lessard procured the whale. Some years after, Lessard carted Ethelbert around the country as a showpiece. Due to a result of neighbors complaining about a strange smell Ethelbert's body was discovered on Lessard's property in St. Helens in August 1949, with the tank now rusted and the protective fluid leaking as a result. Reports claim that the whale was taken and re-buried in the community of Ireland, outside of the city Washougal, Washington, though the exact whereabouts of Ethelbert's body and whether they remain there today are unknown. The whale’s bones can still be seen but removal is prohibited under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.

References

* * * {{Cite web, url=http://offbeatoregon.com/1411a.311.ethelbert-portlands-whale.html, title=The short, tragic history of whaling in Portland city limits , website= Offbeat Oregon History, access-date=2017-06-25 Individual orcas Individual wild animals 1931 in Oregon Wayward cetaceans History of Portland, Oregon

See also

References