UC Davis experts: Killer whales
UC Davis has several experts available to provide commentary related to killer whales (also known as orcas). UC Davis also has authorities on many other marine (ocean) environmental issues at its Bodega Marine Laboratory, Wildlife Health Center and elsewhere on the UC Davis campus; contact the News Service's Sylvia Wright at .
Born free, living imprisoned
Debbie Giles, a UC Davis marine biogeographer with 20 years' experience observing wild killer whales in Puget Sound, Wash., says there is little scientific and absolutely no conservation value in keeping killer whales (Orcinus orca) in captivity. The orca group that Giles studies is known as the Southern Resident Killer Whales. At least 47 individuals have been taken from this population and put into aquariums. Giles uses a research tool that she helped create that combines survey-grade GPS technology, a laser rangefinder and a compass. The tool lessens any impact she might have on the whales by allowing her to record locations and behavioral data on individual whales and individual boats from a distance. Giles is a graduate student researcher. Contact: Debbie Giles, Geography Graduate Group, dagiles@ucdavis.edu.
Dolphins maybe but orcas no
Brenda McCowan, a UC Davis expert on animal behavior, has studied members of the whale family (including wild humpback whales and both wild and captive bottlenose dolphins) for more than 20 years. She is available to describe their behavior and intelligence. McCowan says she is concerned about people keeping bottlenose dolphins in captivity simply for entertainment. As for orcas, she has no doubt they should not be held in captivity, because aquarium pools cannot offer enough space and mental stimulation for such large animals. McCowan is an associate adjunct professor in the Department of Population Health and Reproduction. Contact: Brenda McCowan, School of Veterinary Medicine, (530) 754-7373, bjmccowan@ucdavis.edu.
Killer whale deaths
Joe Gaydos, a UC Davis wildlife veterinarian in Puget Sound, Wash., investigates all orca strandings and deaths from Santa Barbara, Calif., to Alaska and Hawaii for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Very few killer whales are found stranded or dead, Gaydos said, and each one that is found represents an opportunity to learn more about them. Among the 12 orcas examined in this region in the past six years, causes of death included infectious diseases in two and trauma in two (one was hit by a boat; the other may have been), while the cause could not be determined for the others. Gaydos is Pacific Northwest regional director and chief scientist of the SeaDoc Society, a marine ecosystem health program of the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center, at the School of Veterinary Medicine. Contact: Joe Gaydos, UC Davis SeaDoc Society, (360) 376-3910, jkgaydos@ucdavis.edu.
Media contacts:
- Sylvia Wright, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-7704, .
Last updated May 11, 2010
