The fascinating and heartbreaking account of the first publicly
exhibited captive killer whale -- a story that forever changed the way
we see orcas and sparked the movement to save them.
Killer whales had always been seen as bloodthirsty sea monsters. That
all changed when a young killer whale was captured off the west coast of
North America and displayed to the public in 1964. Moby Doll -- as the
whale became known -- was an instant celebrity, drawing 20,000 visitors
on the one and only day he was exhibited. He died within a few months,
but his famous gentleness sparked a worldwide crusade that transformed
how people understood and appreciated orcas. Because of Moby Doll, we
stopped fearing "killers" and grew to love and respect "orcas."
Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute