THE TALE OF THE WHALE…This is Dopey Dick, the Orca whale, swimming up the River Foyle in November 1977
BOFFINS have identified a killer whale animal which hit the headlines in the North of Ireland in the 1970s.
The orca swam up the River Foyle in Derry in November 1977.
But effforts to persuade it to return to the open sea failed.
Journalits in Derry at the time dubbed it “Dopey Dick” as it couldn’t make his way back home.
Many Derry people still recall where they were and what they were doing on the the very day ‘Dopey Dick’ swam up the Foyle, making headlines around the world.
Now almost 40 years later the ‘Tale of the Whale’ has taken on a new story.
Officially known as Comet, is now said be living in the waters off Scotland’s west coast.
Dopey Dick’s true identity was discovered when old photographs were uploaded onto a Facebook page.
Killer whale expert Andy Foote and Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust science officer Dr Conor Ryan recognised the whale in the images as Comet, last recorded by the Trust off Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, in September 2014.
omet has been photographed many times in both Scotland and Ireland by researchers and members of the public, enabling scientists to track his movements.
Dr Foote said: “When I saw the photos on Facebook, I noticed that the white eye patch of Dopey Dick sloped backwards in a really distinctive fashion.
“This is a trait we see in all the West Coast Community whales, but it’s not that common in other killer whale populations.
“The photographs were all quite grainy, but it was still possible to see some of the distinctive features unique to Comet. I couldn’t believe it – he was already a full-grown male back in 1977, when I was just five-years old.”
Dr Ryan said: “A killer whale swam up the river into Derry and there were photographs and videos taken.
“From the pictures you can tell he was an adult male back then and he’s still going, so we reckon he’s at least 50 years old, possibly older.
“Even though he was nicknamed Dopey Dick, he probably knew exactly what he was doing.”
The animal is part of a unique group of killer whales, which marine scientists refer to as the “west coast community”.
Members of the public are being encouraged to report sightings of killer whales in the waters around Scotland, the North of Ireland to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust.
