
The Killer Whale That Changed the World
From Skaana with Mark Leiren-Young by Mark Leiren-Young
July 16, 2025 · 59 min · Season 4 · Episode 90
About this episode
This episode tells the story of Moby Doll and its impact on the relationship between humans and orcas.
The Killer Whale That Changed the World – the story of Moby Doll and the accidental orca capture that changed everything between humans and orcas – was created for CBC Radio's Ideas by Skaana host, Mark Leiren-Young and produced by Yvonne Gall. It originally aired on CBC in 2013, won the Jack Webster Award for Best Radio Documentary and sparked the award-winning book, The Killer Whale Who Changed the World, which is currently being adapted as a feature documentary. This episode is being shared with the permission of CBC Radio. One of the goals of this audio documentary was to capture the stories of the men who remembered Moby Doll while they were still able to share them. Four of the people interviewed here – Dr. Murray Newman, Dr. Patrick McGeer, Christopher “Gus” Angus and Kenneth “Gilbey” Hewlett are no longer with us. We are sharing this in their memory. Other featured interviews: Dr. John Ford joined Fisheries and Oceans Canada in 2001 as the head of the Cetacean Research Program at the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, BC. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Zoology and the Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia. Dr. Ford…
People in this episode
Host: Mark Leiren-Young
Guests: Christopher “Gus” Angus, Kenneth “Gilbey” Hewlett
Topics covered
- killer whale
- Moby Doll
- orca capture
- human-orca relationship
- cetacean research
Keywords
- CBC Radio
- Ideas
- Jack Webster Award
- documentary
- conservation
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Audible, Moby
Books & works: The Killer Whale That Changed the World, Ideas, the Jack Webster Award, The Killer Whale Who Changed the World, Moby Doll, The Power of Words in International Relations: Birth of An Anti-Whaling Discourse
Places: Nanaimo, BC, Canada, Saturna Island, Africa, Serengeti, British Columbia
More episodes of Skaana with Mark Leiren-Young
- When Orcas “Attack” – Alexandra Johnston on the world’s most infamous whales · January 10, 2026 · 54 min
- Polar Bear Jail, Chilling in Churchill & Hanging Out With the Apex Predator on Ice · December 11, 2025 · 44 min
- Flipper Trainer Ric O’Barry on his journey from SeaWorld to Sanctuaries · October 13, 2025 · 57 min
- Misty MacDuffee on the Southern Resident Orcas and the Threat of Bright Extinction · September 29, 2025 · 58 min
- Mark Leiren-Young – Sharks Forever and Jaws Forever? · July 2, 2025 · 16 min
- David Shiffman – On 50 Years of Jaws vs. Sharks · June 18, 2025 · 44 min
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