This is an interview with cetologist Ethan Greaves on the important topic of orca conservation.
WHALING FOR US TO STOP
With SeaWorld celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, it got us thinking of the evolution of this famous attraction and the lives of the animals they have decided to showcase. Their name portrays them as a dangerous animal which has mislead the general public. Sadly, this is being made worse by humans who have mistreated these majestic animals (who have lived beside us for as long as mankind has existed). The stories of orca attacks on humans have been twisted and manipulated to build a picture of an animal that should be feared. We wanted to get to the bottom of this controversial topic and find out a bit more about these magnificent animals and if they really are a danger to humans. To help us learn more and put this debate to rest, ACT NOW! caught up with a cetologist (a whale expert to you and me) and a passionate wildlife campaigner. Ethan Greaves studied Marine Biology at university and has been researching orcas for the last 15 years. He is now committed to raising awareness of the challenges they face, as well as how similar they are to humans and why we should be protecting these breathtaking mammals.
Q: Morning Ethan, we’re so happy to have you here at ACT NOW! To kick things off, what makes orcas such a special animal?
A: What is there not to like about orcas?! There’s a misconception that they are a type of whale, when actually they’re dolphins. I think this is due to their nickname, killer whale, but, in fact, orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family. They are huge animals; females weigh between 3,000- 4,000kg but males can reach up to 10,000kg- that’s heavier than an adult elephant and a similar weight to the anchor of a cruise ship. Despite their gigantic size, they are brilliant swimmers; they can reach speeds of 56km/h (34mph). A pod can cover over 160 kilometres a day!
But the best fact of all, in my opinion, has to be how they sleep! Unlike humans breathing is not automatic to orcas, meaning they have to consciously think about breathing. Imagine having to actively think to breath 24/7! This means that only half their brain sleeps at one time so the other side stays conscious and alert all the time. This means they close the eye on the opposite side to the half of the brain that is sleeping- the other eye stays open whilst they sleep. This is where the expression ‘he sleeps with one eye open’ comes from, which describe someone who sleeps very lightly!
Q: You mentioned they can be refered to as killer whales … surely this means that they can be dangerous?
A: No, they are not dangerous at all despite their name. The name killer whale was given to them by ancient sailors who saw them preying on larger whales. Normally, orcas eat smaller animals such as fish, seals, sealions and sea birds. They are definitely not a risk to humans: in fact there has been no reported incidents of orcas hurting humans in the wild.
Q: If orcas are so special as you’ve shown us and are no danger to society then why are their numbers rapidly falling?
A: Unfortunately, there are many threats to the orca population. Sometimes, they are caught in fishing nets accidentally and toxic waste (as well as pollution) is a massive problem. The increase in boat traffic is also a danger to orcas as it can result in collisions as well as noise pollution- and this affects how they can then communicate. However, arguably the biggest threats of all are whaling and captivity for oceanariums such as SeaWorld.
Q: Whaling- what is that?
A: This is when whales are killed illegally for their meat and body parts. Oil, blubber and cartilage are all used in various pharmaceutical and health supplements. Their meat is often used in pet food and in some traditional dishes for the countries carrying out the practice. Despite a ban being introduced in 1986, sadly this is continuing in some countries; 4000 large whales have been killed in Japan, Norway and Iceland since then. In addition, 100,000 dolphins and small whales are killed in various countries each year.
Q: You also mentioned oceanariums like SeaWorld. I was led to believe these were lovely places for orcas and great places to visit. Is this not actually the case?
A: Unfortunately, this isn’t the case and us orca experts are trying to raise awareness of this problem. We all know orcas are large animals with males typically being 6-8m in length and females being 5-7m. However, the tanks at SeaWorld are only aroung 34 feet deep and 170 feet long. That’s like spending 25 years of your life in a bath-tub- how do you think that would make you feel? Due to the recent backlash from the community, seaworld are claiming they are increasing the enclosures to 50 feet deep and 350 feet long; but orcas dive up to 1,000 feet in the wild and swim around 100 miles a day, so even the new enclosures are a fraction of the size that orcas need. It’s just cruel and it’s no wonder they suffer from rotting skin conditions and some sadly even go insane.
There was actually a documentary produced by Netflix called `Black fish’ that addressed this controversial issue; this exposed some uncomfortable truths and uncovered some hidden secrets. For example, females are thought to live around 80 years or more in the wild however their life spans are thought to be reduced to around 20-40 years in places like SeaWorld.
Q:That all sounds horrendous. However, I did hear that some trainers have been killed by orcas. You mentioned earlier orcas were not harmful to humans- surely this contradicts what you said?
A: This is a fair point but we have to apply context here – as I have shown you, orcas have been kept in horrific living conditions, cooped up in tanks that aren’t even the depth of a bowling alley. Orcas are highly intelligent animals, that are thought to have emotions and higher cognitive abilities, just like humans. Scientists have shown that the longer orcas are kept in captivity in these conditions and out of their natural environment, the more mentally damaged they become; the enclosures and barbaric training methods even induce psychosis in some orcas. Therefore, are the Orcas really to blame??? To reinforce what I said earlier, orcas are not naturally dangerous to humans and there’s been no cases of orcas harming humans in the wild. I mean, would you really want to be held in captivity purely for entertainment reasons??? Many orcas have also died in oceanariums like SeaWorld, due to the awful conditions and also orca-on-orca attacks.
Even more sadly, the one time an orca was released back into the wild, it didn’t survive long, as it struggled to adapt to natural conditions. If this disgusting behaviour continues, I fear we are going to lose many more lives- both orca and human.
Q: Wow, that really changes the perspective of things, doesn’t it? Thank you for clarifying that. If releasing captive orcas does not solve the problem, what else could we do to help?
A: Great question! Luckily, there are lots of other ways you can show your support for these magnificient animals. One of the best ways to help is to donate to charities like Whales & Dolphin Conservation (WDC) or the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). You could also help raise awareness of the problem by writing to your local politician, campaign against whaling and join environmental groups or peaceful protests.
But perhaps the most important thing you could do is to boycott the oceanariums like SeaWorld. Although sadly the current captive orcas would not be able to live a long and happy life, it would put a stop to the practice for the future- if there’s not the demand and no customers, places like SeaWorld would eventually go bankrupt and have to close! If we act now, there is still a chance that these beautiful animals can live to see another kinder, better world and we can save them from the brink of extinction. It’s now or never!
Thank you so much Ethan for speaking to us today about this controversial topic. You’re definitely right in that we all need to do our bit to save these stunning creatures. If you’re interested in helping, visit the WDC website on how to get involved.