ABSTRACT
In July 2001 a lone juvenile orca was observed in a remote fjord called Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The orca was a curious sight. After more than 40 years of research, scientists have come to learn that orcas are social creatures that stay with their families (or pods) for life. Even when the animals are fully grown, they are not known to stray far from their mothers. Why, then, was this juvenile whale in isolation? Why did the orca travel 200 miles away from his resident community in the Salish Sea to take up residence in the traditional territory of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation in British Columbia? To help answer these questions, numerous marine scientists travelled to Nootka Sound to observe this orca, now identified as L98 by the scientific community, or “Luna” to the general public. 1
