Books & Podcasts
MAY 2023
Since learning more about different types of whales, Orcas are the ones that really stand out to me. Even though they are the number one predator in the ocean (even before Great White Sharks), there have been very few recorded instances of orca whales attacking or harming humans in the wild.
Orcas are one of earth’s most intelligent animals. Benign and gentle, with their own languages and cultures, orcas’ amazing capacity for long-term memory and, arguably, compassion, makes the ugly story of the captive-orca industry especially damning. In Of Orcas and Men, a marvelously compelling mix of cultural history, environmental reporting, and scientific research, David Neiwert explores how this extraordinary species has come to capture our imaginations—and the catastrophic environmental consequences of that appeal.
“Profoundly humbling experiences are good for our souls: those knee-knocking, gut-emptying, jaw-dropping, life-altering moments when you come flat up against the reality that we are each, no matter how big our egos or incomes, insignificant flesh-specks fortunate enough to be alive in this grand universe, those moments such as when we stay up late to see the Milky Way on a summer’s night in the Rockies, or stand agape at the edge of the Grand Canyon or an erupting volcano in Hawaii, or watch the birth of our own child. Of all these, there are a few as deeply affecting as having an encounter in the wild with one of nature’s premier meat-eaters, and of these, none are as profound as having a five-ton killer whale with a towering dorsal fin come looming toward your kayak out of the fog.” – Of Orcas And Men
You can order the incredible Of Orcas and Men here
I also highly recommend watching Blackfish. It is such an important and well-made documentary in which you can learn about the dangerous captivity of killer whales and the terrible consequences of caging these highly developed, loving creatures.