Our biggest effort is our Exhibit Hall which is open to the public nearly year-round. Through two floors of exhibits, visitors learn more about the Southern Resident Community of orcas, other marine mammals and the Salish Sea ecosystem. We hope that by learning about this richly diverse yet fragile ecosystem, visitors will be inspired to become better stewards. Updates on Ocean Wise killer whale conservation efforts and opportunities to hear from marine mammal experts For centuries, whales have had a complicated history with humans. As one of the largest animals that have ever lived on the planet they have brought both awe and fear among men. Able to grow to over 100 feet and weigh more than 150 tons, these gigantic creatures have been hunted and harmed for their meat or for shear fun.

The San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network. For animals that strand deceased, we often conduct necropsies. This helps us understand why the animal died and what health issues might be present in the marine ecosystem. In recent years because of research and science, we are slowly understanding how remarkable these creatures are. They play a critical role in the health of our planet. Which is why now more than ever we need to protect them. Our hours are 10:00 am - 4:00 pm every day*. If you are planning on visiting the museum as a group we do offer a schedule around our open hours. Dolphins and whales are closely related. Orcas were given the name ‘killer whale’ by ancient sailors’ observations of groups of orcas hunting and preying on larger whale species. Their Latin name, Orcinus orca, also reflects this observation of orcas feeding on large whales. Orcinus translates to ‘of the kingdom of the dead,’ and orca refers to a kind of whale. We know that orcas are top predators, yes, but not the vicious ‘whale killers’ that the ancient mariners thought them to be. If you could give orcas another name, what would you call them? What do orcas eat?Born Free has funded and supported the OrcaLab team since 1994, as they work to understand the behaviour of the Northern Resident population and safeguard their future.

If you are looking for gifts for whale lovers, these are perfect to give for birthdays, holidays, or for no reason at all. These symbolical whale adoptions are also wonderful gifts for scuba divers and ocean lovers. The most well-studied orca population in the world, the Southern Residents are also one of the most endangered. After their population was reduced by about 40% through live capture and sale to the developing marine park industry in the 1960s and 70s, the Southern Residents struggled to recover, and were listed under the US Endangered Species Act in 2005. A9: As a symbolic adopter, you’ll receive a personalizable adoption certificate, a digital print of your orca beautifully illustrated by our resident artist, a unique story about your orca, an orca indo card, and exclusive access to Wave Warrior events. Thanks for asking! Proceeds from the Orca Adoptions directly benefit our education programs and research efforts. Although the desire to hold orcas captive put them on the path to vanishing, they are now threatened by prey depletion, toxic pollution, and acoustic and physical disturbance. Without more food, clean waters, and a safe and healthy home, we may lose this unique community forever.

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In some regions – Greenland, Japan, Indonesia, and some Caribbean islands – they are still victims of whaling efforts. Historically, populations in the Pacific Northwest and North Atlantic were targeted for live captures to be sold to oceanariums like SeaWorld. The Southern Residents were extensively targeted and still struggle to recover – they have never come close to regaining their pre-capture population numbers. Orcas in the Pacific waters off Russia are still captured and sold into captivity. Different types of orcas Since 1992, the Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program has supported conservation-oriented research on wild killer whales by Ocean Wise’s Marine Mammal Research Program. While research is directed mostly on wild killer whales, it also includes other marine mammals that killer whales interact with in their marine environment. Research discoveries are shared through scientific publications, media, social media and public lectures, and through the provision of expert advice to governments, industry, and non-government organizations. Over the past 25 years, the Adoption Program has supported many ground-breaking research projects. These marine conservation organizations have made it their mission to protect whales through various research, education, and conservation projects. They are among the best whale foundations that encourage ordinary citizens to get involved.

The J17 matriline belongs to the southern resident pod of killer whales known as J pod. Princess Angeline (J17) born in 1977, was the head of the matriline before she sadly passed away in 2019. She was named after the daughter of Duwamish elder Chief Seattle who Seattle is named after. Princess Angeline left behind three surviving offspring: daughters Tahlequah (J35) and Kiki (J53), and son Moby (J44). Her oldest daughter Polaris (J28) and Polaris’ youngest calf Dipper (J54) sadly passed away in October 2016. Polaris’ older calf Star (J46) is still alive and well. Proceeds from orca adoptions support ongoing education, research and public outreach on behalf of the Southern Resident Community of killer whales. A6: The adoption is symbolic and lasts for one year. However, we encourage you to renew your support annually to continue contributing to the wellbeing of the Southern Resident Orcas and their habitat. This post focuses on the different adopt a whale programs all over the world. It lists the different organizations you can support to help protect and save whales.

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ACTIONS: OrcaLab is the world’s longest field study of wild orca and has monitored these cetaceans for more than 40 years. Hotjar sets this cookie when a Recording starts and is read when the recording module is initialized, to see if the user is already in a recording in a particular session. If you can’t decide which of our adorable animals you want to adopt, you may be interested in becoming a Born Free supporter by setting up a monthly donation. The money we receive from our regular donations is unrestricted, and allows us to support the projects that need it the most. Hotjar sets this cookie to identify a new user’s first session. It stores a true/false value, indicating whether it was the first time Hotjar saw this user.