— from Center for Whale Research —
The Center for Whale Research (CWR) is excited to announce the release of a wonderful 5-minute animation that tells the incredible story about the importance of grandmothers in the Southern Resident orca community.
Pods of killer whales inhabit the waters of every major ocean on Earth. Each family is able to survive thanks mainly to one member, its most knowledgeable hunter: the grandmother.
These matriarchs can live 80 years or more and their expertise can mean the difference between life and death for their families. Darren Croft details the lives of killer whales and the dangers facing their survival in this newly-released TEDEd video.
Since 1976 the Center for Whale Research (CWR) has been the leading organization studying the Southern Resident killer whales in their critical habitat: the Salish Sea. CWR performs health assessments to ensure the viability of the whale population, informing elected officials of their ecosystem needs, and sharing the whales’ story with the world. Our 43 years of research has created the only long-term data set about the behavior, health, and social dynamics of the Southern Resident killer whales.
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How can we possibly justify continuing to sell these magnificent creatures to tourists? Shouldn’t we all find a way to make a living that doesn’t do such great harm?
If you actually watch this well produced, and informative video, you will see this has nothing to do with “continuing to sell these magnificent creatures to tourists.” It describes the hierarchy/matriarchy of our local orca pods, and the importance of salmon populations to their survival. It is a great educational piece; kudos to the CWR for makIng it.
Looking forward to the education. Thanks for your recommendation, Janet. And thanks, CWR.
Janet, I agree it is a wonderful piece wonderfully done and watching it makes me very sad….