The Orca is a remarkably successful animal that dominates the oceans and has no natural enemies. Ironically it is the Orca's uniqueness that has caused it to be so persecuted by humans.

        The Orca's formidable hunting abilities and wide ranging diet have caused man to fear and hate it for centuries. Its intelligence, playful spirit and athletic ability have caused it to be collected and displayed in concrete pens for our amusement. Its position at the top of the ocean food chain has caused toxic chemicals released by man to concentrate in its blubber and poison it, and its amazing social structure and curiosity towards humans cause it trauma from the sheer number of people that want to observe it in the wild. Yet it is apparent that humans recognize in this species perhaps more than any other a kinship.

        Orcas in some communities are dying at unprecedented rates. Perhaps one calf out of four will survive this year in the southern community. Dead whales washing ashore are laden with so many toxins that their dead bodies are classified as toxic waste. Salmon stocks are so low that resident orcas are forced to swim increasingly further for food, and may even start eating marine mammal prey. Whale watching traffic is so high that fifty boats will surround a mother and calf for most of the day. To cap it all, the US Navy has been testing a sonar technology that has already been implicated in the mass stranding of whales and dolphins in the Bahamas.