In the course of writing a book about what free-living animals learn from each other, I find myself on the Tambopata River in southeast Peru. The nearest town is Puerto Maldonado but from there the trip is all upriver. Wheeled vehicles are useless in this forest, and there are none. The surrounding forest has […]
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Tilikum. A Killer Whale’s Tragic Life
Tilikum has died. Involved in the killing of three humans, the focus of the movie Blackfish, and the book A Death at SeaWorld, Tilikum was certainly the most famous whale, and quite possibly the most noted and notorious non-human being, in the world.He was above all a performer. But beneath all, he was a killer whale. It’s a […]
The Great East Coast Return To Abundance—Your Help Needed
One of the greatest recoveries on any coast is happening now. But it is threatened with reversal by one giant fishing corporation. Here’s what is happening and how you can help right now. Earlier this summer, some friends of ours told us they’d gone to the beach in Amagansett on the east end of Long […]
Wild voices: Audio “notes” from Beyond Words
During my field time in writing Beyond Words, I often dictated notes into a little digital recorder. While in the wild, there were a couple of opportunities to record sounds from some of the exact same individual wolves and killer whales (orcas) who I write about in the book. I find these callings extraordinarily haunting. […]
Carl Safina joins board of nonprofit working to improve lives of captive cetaceans
By Erica Cirino There are many people who believe whales and dolphins do not belong in aquariums and marine parks, and for good reason: When you put a large, highly intelligent animal that naturally travels a hundred or more miles a day into a small concrete tank, the results aren’t pretty. The animals suffer increased […]
5 questions with Carl Safina
Stony Brook University recently featured Carl Safina in a short film asking him “5 questions” about his college experience and the importance of mentorship this January, which is National Mentoring Month. Check out the video!