Final prompt - SRKW

"If we lose the Southern Residents, it will be the first extinction where every individual's name was known." - Alexandra Morton

Here we are at the final prompt.

The southern resident killer whales inspired me to make Orcanomics. They inspired me to create the zorca.

I don't know why it surprises me, but opinions about killer whales for most people even today don't go any further than "Sea World attraction" or "dont they kill everything?" It almost seems like the opinions from the 60's and 70's didn't change too much.

Research on these animals has changed and grown since my childhood days obsessing about whales. And having the means to dive deeper (haha) into all of it has expanded my own perception and opinions on orcas, and marine life in general. I was not aware of how spiritual they are to several cultures. And reading up on stories about Kiska and Tokitae, I see why there have been comparisons of killer whale captures to what indigenous people went through.

Orcas represent community, family, strength, connection to the ocean. They are revered in indigenous communities as guardians of the sea. They are a keystone species.

The Southern Resident Killer Whales are a unique group of orca in that they feed primarily on fish, specifically the Chinook Salmon. They struggle due to their food source declining thanks to over fishing and pollution. As well as other factors like noise pollution.

They consist of three separate pods; J, K, and L pods. Together there are only 74 left in the world, and one of two orca populations listed under the Endangered Species Act. They used to be greater in number but their population was heavily reduced during the orca captures during the 70's.

When I first learned about them I was so sad. But I also learned how many people and groups are fighting for them and other animals. It's hard to feel like you can make a difference, ESPECIALLY in this day and age. But we can't give into despondency and end up doing nothing anyway. I read a post about how it feels hopeless because there are so many causes and people in need, and how can you, as one person, help them all? Someone came in and added "pick one cause and focus on that" Don't scatter yourself, find something you are passionate about and do what you can. Raise awareness, donate if you can, etc. Then things feel less daunting.

And it's helped me.

I began to focus on orcas and found out how much people care 😭 THEY CARE SO MUCH! We have sad stories like Kiska and Tokitae, and countless others, but now further captivity and breeding is banned. There are projects to create sanctuaries, acts to help increase salmon population and removing dams to make sure they thrive. People are giving platforms to indigenous communities so they can speak on what can be done.

Ive been told by folks that they've learned so much from my orca facts. 🥹

I wanted to do this challenge to raise more awareness. And if you learned something from this then I say mission complete ❤️

Thank you for coming on this journey with me and to everyone who supported me on this project!