David Suzuki Institute

The Killer Whale Who Changed the World
Mark Leiren-Young


Paperback (Trade paperback US) | Nov 2017 | Greystone Books | 9781771643511 | 208pp | 228x152mm | GEN | AUD$24.99, NZD$29.99

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."