WHY DID SHE DIE?

Te Ao Hou, July 1958, Page 24

WHY DID SHE DIE? The news of her death came as a stunning shock to everyone. The uppermost feeling was sorrow and sadness and a deep sense of loss as of a loved member of a family. She lies buried by the Opononi Memorial Hall near the beach which she had made so popular and famous. Telegrams and letters from all over New Zealand came expressing their sorrow over her death and conveying their heartfelt sympathy to the people of Opononi, but to the children in particular. Such was the contents of a telegram received from Sir Willoughby Norrie, Governor General of New Zealand at that time. Why and how did she die? She was found stranded between two rocks on a point past Koutu, about three miles up-river from Opononi. There are two schools of thought concerning the cause of her death. Foul play which was possible but improbable. She was skinned on one side of her body, but that could be caused by dashing against the rocks when she was in her death throes. She may also have stranded through the tide receding before she knew she could not get out. This is quite possible. My own humble opinion, for what it is worth, is that she committed suicide. I base my conjecture on two points. Opo was a female dolphin and there was no male to keep her company. A dolphin is a mammal and her young are suckled and get their milk from a shallow dent under her flippers where they join her body. As she was a lone dolphin the urge to reproduce like any other animal could not be satisfied. This hankering for young to mother is one reason why she got so friendly with humans, especially children, also why she liked being stroked by an oar or a mop. Invariably when being stroked she would turn over on her back to be stroked on her stomach. But her greatest urge was for reproduction of her own kind. When this urge was not satisfied she committed suicide by deliberately getting herself stranded. It was weeks after her death before I could venture to go out fishing. When I did I could not help but look around expecting Opo to come cavorting to meet my boat, but all in vain. I have tried to express my thoughts and things which I have seen when Opo was alive. She was one of the most wonderful and short-lived friends of everyone. To those who did not have the privilege of seeing her I wish to say this: you have missed seeing something so wonderful that my story is a very poor substitute for the real and short-lived, but so world-famous. Opo, the Gay Dolphin.