Iberian orca guardian, Alexandra Johnston, talks with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young about hanging out with the world’s most infamous orcas. On orcas as click-bait – the orcas who are “attacking” boats and how social media is creating orca hysteria. “Blue fin tuna is their main prey source. They are fish eaters, not boat eaters.” Alexandra Johnston. “I really feel these orcas have been used as click-bait for the last five years.” On the infamous White Gladys: “She’s a part of this family that’s fighting to survive. She’s very authoritative, she’s very dominant, she’s very curious, but she’s not this bloodthirsty tyrant leading this orca rebellion!”
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Shownotes:
2:22 Meet Alexandra Johnston – an “orca attack” survivor.
3:35 “These guys blew my mind… I was just fascinated from my first encounter.” – Alexandra Johnson
4:35 The first time she met an Iberian orcas and the magic of encountering their superpod.
6:34 Meeting the “infamous” White Gladys and her newborn baby, Atlas.
8:14 On the first time she saw a wild orca.
10:45 “It’s something very spiritual with the southern residents, isn’t it?”
14:35 “There is a big difference between their culture and their behaviour. When I talk about the Iberians -they’re spicy, that’s how I like to describe them. They are very curious.”
17:05 “Blue fin tuna is their main prey source. They are fish eaters, not boat eaters.”
17:50 On Iberian orca dialect. “They’re screechy.”
22:23 On the Iberian orcas LONG history or interacting with boars and social media creating orca hysteria.
24:35 On the Jaws effect and “I really feel these orcas have been used as click-bait for the last five years.”
28:00 On the experience of being on a boat when an orca starts “interacting” with it. “I very seldom see these news articles mention that this population is critically endangered… People are taking weapons out into the water.”
32:10 On working with Ric O’Barry and the importance of focusing on the animals.
34:30 The legends and myths of the infamous White Gladys – the Luigi Mangione of orcas. Why Gladys? It comes from gladiator! “She’s a part of this family that’s fighting to survive. She’s very authoritative, she’s very dominant, she’s very curious, but she’s not this bloodthirsty tyrant leading this orca rebellion!”
37:28 The scoop on The Dolphin Project – if you’re interested, please check out our recent interview with Dolphin Project founder, Ric O’Barry.
46:11 “I hope people are able to fall in love with them like everybody along the Peninsula here has to.”
47:10 Killer Whales – the song! Written and performed by Skaana host, Mark Leiren-Young.
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