Killer Whale to Get Endangered Listing

This news kind of struck me from out of the blue. Having lived in Seattle for many years, I will tell you that the Orca or killer whale is a legendary figure. Pods of whales still ply the bay and sea kayakers make special pilgrimages up to places like the San Juan Islands just to see them. I hade always thought they were, well, if not plentiful, then at least numerous enough. But it seems that one species of Puget Sound Killer Whale, is not. The Department of the Interior has said it will list the southern resident killer whale (which is, as I say, a distinct variant of orca whale…distinct from the Northern resident whales) on the Endangered Species List. This is the highest level of protection that a species can get, and while no guarantee of the species ultimate survival, at least means that the full strength of the law extends to help the animal survive. Interestingly, on a quite similar note, it seems Interior will also REMOVE the grizzly bear from the list, a species that had been protected by the Endangered Species Act for 30 years. So, see, there are happy endings to listing.

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