"If you're of a certain generation, you might be able to trace your affinity for orcas to repeated viewings of a certain movie: the seminal 1993 film Free Willy. That movie led to a herculean effort that would eventually rope in the U.S. Air Force to rescue the movie's star, an orca named Keiko, from captivity. It also cemented the idea of orcas as intelligent, curious animals who deserve to live outside of captivity."
"Kelso Harper: Oh, whale aficionadoI don't know if I can claim that title, but the people I spoke to certainly can. Pierre-Louis: You went to the San Juan Islands. Can you tell me a little bit about that experience? Harper: Yeah, definitely, so the San Juan Islands are a little archipelago off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, kind of nestled in the Salish Sea near Seattle and Vancouver, and people tend to come there for their outdoor activities and to see whales, especially orcas."
The 1993 film Free Willy prompted a large-scale campaign that culminated in the U.S. Air Force-assisted rescue of Keiko, an orca held in captivity. The film shaped public perception of orcas as intelligent, curious animals deserving freedom in the wild. Many orcas displayed in aquariums and zoos were captured from waters near the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest. Observers traveled to the San Juan archipelago to assess local orca populations and their wellbeing. The region supports resident orca pods and offers exceptional viewing due to local geology, including seafloor drops to nearly 1,000 feet offshore.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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