In the book, The Golden Rule, Jesus said, “Let your children live in your home and be your own servant.” The implication there is that children should be treated as your property, and that you, as a parent, can be a killer, without being a killer at all. Does this mean you shouldn’t take care of your children? Of course not, but Jesus made it clear that when you are in authority, people will not always take you seriously, but only obey you out of fear.

One example that comes to mind is the case of David Matkin, who slithered from his ship and was never seen again. If Matkin had been an escaped convict, authorities would have found him and returned him to sea. However, because he was carrying his master’s name and the master’s title, Matkin slipped through the police lines and became a famous eastern Pacific killer whale pod hunter.

Killer whales, like their cousins the blue whale and the black bear, come to gather together in the months before Mother Nature puts on her annual holiday, called calving season, where they go to lay down their young for the long journey back to the ocean. During this time, pod hunting is the most profitable game, and killer whales are not afraid to make a nest. It’s estimated that they can live up to sixty years if they are left alone. There is no question that Orcas and Orca pods will travel hundreds of miles searching for their next prey.

Some people are opposed to killing killer whales, and rightly so. Studies have shown that Orcas and Orca pods are highly intelligent and social creatures. Dolphins, on the other hand, are a different story. Dolphins don’t really belong in the ocean, after all. They are great athletes, but they are more suited to living in land.

In the Pacific Northwest, there are a few pods of whales that gather regularly off the shores. These pods hunt and feed by tracking fish, and occasionally attacking other pods. The aggressive behavior of orcas has been disputed, as it has been blamed on territorial aggression. But it is clear that Orcas and Dolphins do play with each other, and that they get into fights from time to time. This aggressive behavior does not reflect well in a human ocean sanctuary, so keeping orcas in captivity seems like a risk worth taking.

Diving research has shown that orcas have adapted well to their marine mammal captivity, but they still head out onto open coastal waters. The most popular places to watch killer whales and dolphins off the coast of British Columbia are Whistler and Stanley Island. You may be able to book a spot at one of these marine mammals and watch them take a dive or two!