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Luna: the Orca Who Wanted to Be Friends

Posted July 14, 2011 in Learn More by Michael Mountain

(Sixth in the series Superpod One – Where It All Began)

The story of Luna, the wayward orca, is well known. So, it’s not giving away the ending of this movie to say that his search for friendship among the humans he followed around came to a sad end one day, five years ago.

But the story of his life leading up to that fateful day is told poignantly by Mike Parfit and Suzanne Chisolm in their movie, The Whale, which opens on September 16. They showed us a preview this evening.

The story begins in Nootka Sound (pictured above), off the west coast of Canada, in 2001, when the young whale became separated from his family, the L pod.

Nootka Sound is a remote waterway that winds its way inland from the Pacific to one of the old logging towns up the river and the L pod often hangs out there on their salmon fishing expeditions.

When the pod returned to Puget Sound without Luna and his uncle, Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research and other scientists speculated that the missing whales may have been fishing together when the uncle died. But no one really knows what happened.

Luna was only a year old, very young for animals who routinely live into their 60s or 70s and who don’t mature until they’re at least 20. What happened to him was like a human child finding himself alone and lost.

Fortunately for him, Luna had at least learned to catch his own food.

Orcas are social animals who need each other’s company. So, Luna did the next best thing to finding his own family: he started making friends with the humans who come and go on their boats in Nootka Sound.

Luna the celebrity

In the years that followed, the young whale attracted thousands of tourists who came to visit him. And he sparked a major dispute, involving the Canadian government, the whale protection groups and the marine circuses.

The government tried in vain to stop humans from accepting the friendship of Luna. The orca protection groups wanted to work with the young whale so that he would bond temporarily with them, enabling them to lead him back to his family.

And the marine parks came up with all manner of schemes to try to “save” Luna so they could put him on public display. As an already-friendly whale who would also have been good for breeding, he would have been a huge prize, and at a minimal price.

The dispute continued for about five years while Luna befriended different people and groups, only to be baffled when they would suddenly stop reciprocating his friendship because of orders from the government.

In the end, one day when Luna was frolicking around the back of a tugboat and trying to make friends with the people on board, he was injured by the propeller and did not survive.

An allegory of human behavior

It’s a story about a whale. But it’s also a powerful allegory about human behavior: the special interests with dollar signs flashing in their eyes; the government bureaucracies trying to protect their turf and play by their own rulebook; the orca groups and scientists who knew exactly what to do to get Luna back to his family but could never get the government cooperation they needed; the fishermen who were afraid that Luna would eat “their” fish; and all the tourists and other visitors who wanted to play with him and have their photo taken with him but who would then move on or be stopped by the government – all of them leaving one very confused young animal in their wake.

Mike and Suzanne are not simply the producers of the movie; they know the story intimately since they were also involved in trying to save Luna. But they don’t try to propagandize. They’re expert enough moviemakers to know that the story is far more powerful when just told straight. And the result is a movie that’s moving and memorable.

(Second in the series Superpod One – Where It All Began)

Table of Contents

Superpod One – Where it All Began
In the summer of 2011, a group of scientists, journalists and former orca trainers met up on San Juan Island. Their week together would eventually lead to the formation of the Whale Sanctuary Project.

Off to the Island
On the ferry to San Juan Island everyone crowds onto the top deck for glimpses of dolphins, harbor seals, eagles and other animals.

First Sighting
At the Center for Whale Research, we see dorsal fins popping out of the water … just a second or two as the orcas come up for air.

Grandma J2’s Birthday Party
Grandma J2 has celebrated her 100th birthday. San Juan Island held a party in her honor. But how do they know she’d just turned 100?

T Is for Transient
As well as the “resident” pods, who spend most of their time around the islands, there are “transient” pods whose lifestyle is quite different.

Luna: the Orca Who Wanted to Be Friends
Orcas need each other’s company. So, when Luna got separated from his family, he started making friends with humans on their boats in Nootka Sound.

Out on the Ocean, Surrounded by Orcas
We’re headed out toward the open sound, and our captain is confident we’re going to see some orcas.

Orcas at the Other End of the World
The orcas line up and create a wave that will lift one side of the ice floe and tip the seal into the water.

Orca Dinner Party
The whales need 200 pounds of food every day, and Chinook salmon is the only food that the resident orcas will eat.

Super-Intelligence
Whichever way you look at orca brains, you have to conclude that these guys are super-intelligent.

Custody Battle Over a Captive Orca
An unseemly custody battle is going on between SeaWorld and Marineland over orca Ikaika, whom SeaWorld has “loaned” them.

We’ll Meet Again . . .
The group needs a name. I suggest “Superpod” in honor of what we’ve seen and shared this week. It’s agreed … and it’s just a beginning

Also on the Blog

  • How We Can Give Sanctuary to the Whales Who Cannot Wait
  • A Tale of Two Baby Orcas
  • Orca Brains and Intelligence
  • Canada Bans Captivity of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises
  • A Deep Dive into Environmental Analysis
  • TEDx Talk “Whales Without Walls” by Charles Vinick
  • Whale Aid Russia

Live Series of Webinars

What is an authentic sanctuary?
Latest discoveries about beluga whale societies.
The psychology of captivity.
Free Willy and the legacy of Keiko.
… and many more.


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