Three killer whales swim in a row at the surface of the water. Over the years, orcas have been hated by fishermen, but then loved by the public as they were put into marine shows.
How Killer Whales Went from Hated, to Adored, to Endangered
The more we’ve learned about orcas, the more we love them. But can killer whales survive the dramatic changes to their world?
It was not so long ago that killer whales were reviled as vicious pests, shot, harpooned, and even machine-gunned by whalers, fishermen, and government agencies. Today, the world has come to appreciate these sleek creatures not only as apex predators but also for their complex societies and their ability to feel grief. But as Jason Colby explains in his new book, Orca, our love affair with killer whales may have come too late, as declining fish stocks, marine pollution, and other forces push some of them ever closer to extinction.
When National Geographic caught up with Colby in Hawaii, he explained how orcas display complex social behavior and even grief, why a controversial new pipeline