British Columbia orca escape mystery investigated by author

Author Grant Lawrence is investigating a 56-year-old mystery involving the escape of killer whales from captivity in British Columbia. In 1970, five orcas, known as the Pedder Bay Five, were captured in Metchosin’s Pedder Bay by Bob Wright, owner of the Sealand of the Pacific oceanarium.

While some whales, such as Nootka and the white orca Chimo, were transferred to the facility, two others—a bull male named Charlie and his mother Flo—escaped their net pen after approximately eight months and returned to the wild. The identity of the individual or individuals responsible for facilitating this escape has remained unknown for over five decades.

Lawrence reports that recent interviews have yielded clues that may identify the person behind the escape. The incident highlights the historical challenges of keeping transient Bigg’s killer whales in captivity, as evidenced by the death of Chimo’s mother, Scarredjaw Cow, who died from starvation because her captors did not realize her ecotype did not eat fish.