Wild Hope for Southern Resident Orcas

Photo: B. Mahwinney

The spring/summer edition of Wild Hope magazine features my most recent article about efforts to save the Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) of the Pacific Northwest, whose endangered population currently numbers only 72 individuals. 

 “Sea of Hope” includes an extensive interview with Dr. Deborah Giles, science and research director for the nonprofit Wild Orca and research scientist at the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology.

Giles, as she prefers to be called, spearheads field efforts to collect fecal samples from orcas using specially trained conservation detection dogs (similar to the scat-sniffing dogs I’ve worked with in the past to survey for forest carnivores). As you’ll read in the article, this research has helped conservation biologists identify the human-caused problems underlying the Southern Resident crisis—and urgently needed strategies for addressing them. 

Photo: F. Felleman

When I first agreed to write a story about the Southern Residents for Wild Hope, I admittedly struggled to find a hopeful angle. My background research included two trips to San Juan Island, where I spent time with Giles and other biologists dedicated to helping the imperiled orca population. Ultimately, I decided that this was my angle: to highlight the extraordinary work scientists are doing to help turn this situation around.

Please look for Wild Hope at your local bookstore or purchase a copy on their website. My previous articles for this fabulous magazine include Doing Right by Right Whales and Homecoming, about grizzly bear recovery in the North Cascades.

To read other pieces I’ve written about killer whales, see Dio, Sniffing Poop Out at Sea, and Orca Tokitae’s Totem Pole Journey.