Whale of a Story
I've read some great profiles, but never before have I seen one about a killer orca. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is running a wonderful series this week by M.L. Lyke that follows the life of one of these massive mammals. Lyke's "Granny's Struggle" weaves the story of the 90-plus-year-old whale with descriptions and analysis of the environmental degradation and human greed that threaten her. The writing is lively throughout as Lyke shows us the struggles of Granny and her family:
Her family travels together, porpoising in easy rhythm, their black fins slicing the surface like so many windmills. They hunt together, spread out in lines that stretch for miles. They talk, using chirps and whistles, squawks and squeals that sound like metal files on a saw blade. Scree-eeeeeee, scree-eeeeee.
Lyke's series is running alongside "The Sound of Broken Promises" by Robert McClure and Lisa Stiffler, which looks at the threatening conditions for marine life in the Puget Sound. Thanks to News Gems reader Brian Summers for suggesting these two fascinating series.