KNKX Environment Reporter Bellamy Pailthorp recently hosted Orca Rescue!, a special event about a young orca named Springer who was discovered near Seattle 20 years ago. Her rescue, rehabilitation, and return to her pod on the north end of Vancouver Island, the only successful orca rescue in history, was a testament to perseverance and teamwork.
Event highlights included a special-to-KNKX video of the "'Namgis Welcome Dance", performed by students from an elementary school in Alert Bay, B.C. and remarks from 'Namgis Chief Bill Cranmer, who stood on the platform of the net pen in Canada when Springer was released into her home waters.
The event at Town Hall Seattle featured a presentation and panel discussion with members of that team:
- The Whale TrailFounder/Executive Director Donna Sandstrom and author of "Orca Rescue! The True Story of an Orphaned Orca Named Springer "
- Lynne Barre, Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery Coordinator, NOAA Fisheries
- Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, Senior Scientist, Raincoast Conservation Foundation
- Council Member Ernest Alfred, 'Namgis First Nation
Donna Sandstrom tells Springer’s story in a new middle-grade nonfiction book, "Orca Rescue!". Panelists answered questions recorded by students from Chautauqua Elementary School on Vashon and via KNKX's Springer Hotline.
At KNKX, we’re all about storytelling that inspires and enriches, and we also love stories that end on a hopeful note, like Springer’s. She’s thriving today with two calves and when last seen, she was pregnant with her third calf.
Listen to Bellamy's story about Springer's rescue.
