Togetherness is Our Home: An Orca's Journey through Life - Paperback

by Astrid M. Van Ginneken (Author)

Think of orcas, and you may instantly imagine the killer whales prowling the high seas in search of prey. Yet, these predators are much more than ruthless killers, and are in fact, complex creatures that feel and love within the groups they live. In pitch-perfect prose, orca expert Dr. Astrid M. van Ginneken puts the reader into the orca's mind as she tells the story of the young killer whale Tuschka. Born in the wild, Tuschka learns the ways of her pod of fellow creatures and experiences the never-ending search for food, the joy of play, and the sadness of loss. But then Tuschka is mercilessly taken from her home waters and transferred to a marine park, where her only solace is a trust in her human trainers. Will she ever again join her family in the wild? Fascinating and heartfelt, this is a novel that is an astonishing account of the bonds between whales, and the relationship of man and orca.

Author Biography

Astrid M. van Ginneken has been fascinated by animals since she was six years old. Beside her innovative work on computerized patient records, she has a strong fascination for killer whales. Her dream came true in 1987: she was still a Ph.D. student when orca expert, Kenneth C. Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor WA, invited her to participate as staff in his renowned Orca Survey, ongoing since 1976. The author returned every summer since and became co-principal investigator in 1994. She contributes to the photo-identification study and set up a new research database in 1996. Astrid knows every individual orca and has seen many grow into adulthood: 60% of the Center's study population has been born since Astrid joined the project. Over the years, she also visited research projects on orcas in Norway, Argentina, and New Zealand. Beside her studies in the wild, the author has spent many days observing killer whales in marine parks all over the world. Friendly trainers willingly shared their experiences and fascinating insights with Astrid. All these years of observation of different killer whales in so many different circumstances, shaped Astrid's perception of the highly intelligent and loyal orca. In her novel 'Togetherness is Our Home' she puts the reader into the mind and world of these fascinating and majestic predators.