If you missed our
A Man Among Orcas live chat with wildlife expert Peter Gros, we've got the transcript with your orca questions answered, right here.
Peter Gros: Nice to hear from you as we chat about one of the most fascinating and intelligent mammals in the world.
adk143: Hello, my name is Dominique. I've always dreamed of being able to study orcas in the wild, like this man in the upcoming show. How on earth can I possibly do the same thing?
Peter Gros: Dominique, I would think a good place to start would be the University of British Columbia. They have been doing research on orcas for years. A good book that covers some of their research is called
Orca: The Whale Called Killer by Eric Hoyt. I would also contact a regional aquarium, since they will sometimes sponsor killer whale research.
When you're in British Columbia, there are numerous companies that lead tours to do killer whale viewing. This type of viewing is monitored carefully to prevent changing behavioral patterns of killer whales in the wild, yet they will occasionally surface very close to you.
The Fish and Wildlife Service may have a list of internship programs, which could be helpful.
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Peter Gros is a special adviser to Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom on Animal Planet and a former host of the original series. On behalf of Mutual of Omaha, he is involved with a nationwide education program that teaches students about the importance of conservation. As former director of land animals, and later vice president, at Marine World/Africa USA, he established breeding programs for 377 endangered animals. He later developed a rehabilitation program for birds of prey. Peter is an active member of several zoological and environmental education groups, a licensed exhibition and animal educator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a frequent lecturer on the subject of conservation at universities, zoos and nature centers.
