Orca Heaven

If you love Orcas, or Killer whales, do you realize how lucky we are? We live in an Orca habitation zone. There aren't that many places where you'll find a large concentration of these special animals. The Puget Sound, especially the north part around the San Juans and Vancouver Island, is home to several Orca whale pods.

For the longest time, I have been fascinated by these magnificent animals. When I was younger, I saw the show at Seaworld in Orlando. I was mesmerized by the whales, seeing them so close. But as the show went on, I began to feel so sorry for them, couped up in what is essentially a water cage. These animals are special. They are unique in the animal kingdom, with some saying their intelligence puts them on a level just below humans. To see them perform like that and kept as prisoners made me completely change my mind about Orca shows. I just don't support these shows anymore. I know a lot of people go to water parks to watch Orcas. But I respect the Orcas too much to patronize these shows any longer. Orcas belong in the wild, in their natural environment. When I hear stories of young Orca whales being taken away from their families at a very early age, it makes me very upset. The Orca whales are some of the most social animals on Earth. The whales stay with their families for life. Most pods are led by mature female Orcas who watch out for the rest of the pod. Imagine the horror when one of their family members is taken away, just to be used as a pawn in a water park show. It's just not right.

Because of pollution and toxins in the water infiltrating the Orcas main food source--salmon, the Orca population around the Puget Sound has stagnated. Some think it's only a matter of time before all of the Orcas around here are gone, unless we do something about the toxins in the water. Sadly, a lot of the pollution/poison comes across the Pacific from Asia and gets into the waters around the Puget Sound.

There are some GREAT organizations out there who are doing wonderful work helping Orcas. The Orca Network is one such organization. Check out their website here: http://www.orcanetwork.org

Another great charity that I personally support is called Earth Island Institute. It's based in Berkeley, CA and they do WONDERFUL work all over the world. They are involved in protecting animals and natural habitats. They are also very involved in calling attention to and finding solutions to protect our fragile natural environment. Remember the movie "The Cove"? It's a documentary that exposed the horrific slaughter of innocent dolphins every year by the residents of a town in Japan. The film maker, Ric O'Barry, is a strong proponent of Earth Island Institute. You can learn more about Earth Island Institute here:  http://www.earthisland.org/index.php

I think we all need to do our part in helping to quell the spread of pollution in our marine environment and by doing so, helping the Orcas thrive. This a a cause that I am quite passionate about saving.

As always, your comments and thoughts are welcome. And thanks for reading my blog today.

All the best...

Will Johnson