Book Review - Wild Orcas: A Deep Dive into the World of Killer Whales - Princeton University Press

      Thankfully, in most areas of the world, it is realized that the imprisonment of Orcas - commonly known as Killer Whales - for human entertainment is both inappropriate and cruel, and the practice has been almost universally banned. Public outcry and popular films such as Free Willy played no small role in this outcome, and for this we should be grateful. 

     As this book shows, Killer Whales form complex, organized societies, showing great similarities between whales and humans. Family bonds are close, co-operation is key to survival, intense care for the young, sharing of food and other forms of altruistic and cooperative behaviour are pervasive. 

     Wild Killer Whales have a sophisticated language and communicate continuously, sometimes over great distances to maintain pod cohesion and facilitate hunting strategies. They manifest a touching curiosity about humans and have never been known to intentionally harm any of us, despite the fact that they could do so with ease; by combining forces they are able to overcome Great White Sharks and much larger whales.

     This book provides an enchanting look into the world of Killer Whales, measurably enhanced by the array of high tech devices to enable scientists to understand them with ever greater sophistication and precision. Given the disturbing history of humankind's relationship with marine mammals it is comforting to know that exploitation is no longer our principal goal in getting to know these magnificent creatures better.

     Killer Whales throughout the world's oceans form distinctive groups with unique cultural traits, differences in language with dialects identifying kin, and pod-specific dietary requirements. All are carnivores but some specialize in the consumption of marine mammals, others eat exclusively salmon, for example, and the two populations rarely interact with each other. There are morphological differences, too, raising the possibility that distinct species designation may be warranted.

     These magnificent mammals that returned to the ocean during the Eocene epoch around fifty million years ago are in trouble. The oceans which sustain every aspect of their lives are becoming a sewer. Every human-impacted corner of the globe is being degraded and all life is at risk. Blubber samples taken from whales reveal that it is a repository for fat-soluble forever chemicals. In a process known as bioaccumulation, and its companion evil biomagnification, nursing mothers pass on a toxic concentration of these deadly chemicals to their young, impairing their chances for survival. The concentration of poison is now so great that dead whales are declared hazardous waste. We know what we are doing, we have all the knowledge we need to stop doing it, yet we humans lack the will to act. Whales (and other marine organisms) continue to die around us, we wring our hands, express outrage - and do nothing.

     One of the best known Killer Whale populations in the world is the group in the Salish Sea off the west coast of North America known as the Southern Residents, and it is one of the most at risk. As researchers grimly state, this is "an extinction in plain sight." The Canadian Killer Whale biologist and environmental activist, Alexandra Morton has stated, "If we lose the Southern Residents, it will be the first extinction where every individual's name was known."

     It is a terrible indictment on all of us that we may permit this to happen.

      Read this book. Please read this book - and take it to heart. We have shamed amusement parks into freeing their captive Orcas. Now is the time to push politicians into global action for all species. 

     Ultimately, that means us too.

Wild Orcas: A Deep Dive into the World of Killer Whales - Princeton University Press

Hardcover - US$35.00 - ISBN: 9780691269849

256 pages - 7.5 x 9.75 inches (18.75 x 24.375 cm)

125 colour illustrations

Publication date: 19 May, 2026