In episode 15 of The Public Circle Podcast I’m joined by Skaana podcast host Mark Leiren-Young to talk about what? You guessed it, the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW).
This was a deeply enjoyable conversation about the history of our relationship with orcas from cetaceans in captivity to the recent change in federal legislation freeing them, covering all the ground in between sci-fi killer monsters and the gentle relatives of the deep who we fished alongside.
“Mark Leiren-Young, who has a background in pretty much everything — journalism, television, comedy, theatre and film — is without a doubt one of the most talented, multi-disciplinary voices in Canada.” – National Post
That pretty much sums him up with one major piece missing. For the past 20+ years he has been on the orca beat. He has been capturing the stories of the SRKW’s with his pen, camera and podcast and helping us all better understand the iconic species of the Salish Sea.
This episode is a wide-ranging conversation and we spend time discussing why we should call the whales by name and Mark’s various books and documentaries about orcas. If you would like to find out more about his work or to contact him I encourage you to check out his website.
I hope you enjoy this episode featuring Mark Leiren-Young!
Your most interesting interview yet. Love it. I have had many experiences with the orca, the best being at East Point on Saturna Island.
Surprising that first Orca (Killer Whale) was put in captivity in the Vancouver Aquarium. My first face-2-face was at the Victoria Aquarium. With the encouragement of the trainer, I had a profound experience when I took the chance of putting my arm into his mouth and we both paused and looked into each other’s eyes. That feeling of connection felt like human to human. This happened 20 years ago.