portfolio: long-form investigative journalism
When I stumbled upon the carcass of a harbour porpoise on an Isle of Wight beach in September 2020, I decided to investigate. How did it die? Why did it die? Who was supposed to remove it? Did anyone care? In a two-year quest for answers, I learn of the local impacts of global climate change and witness the worldwide biodiversity crisis wash up on home shores. Along the way, I hear shocking accounts of wildlife as waste and uncover a lack of public health surveillance experts warn could unleash new and emerging zoonotic diseases. A Porpoise Named Peppa is not just a story about one stranded cetacean, but of compassion, complexity, climate, and community.