Researchers have observed some unique and complex hunting
behaviour in certain groups of orcas worldwide. Along the Antarctic Peninsula,
one group of orcas displays a highly cunning tactic – hunting in packs by making
waves to wash seals off the floating ice into the waiting jaws of their nearby
companions.
Prior to these observation, in the early 1970’s orcas along the Argentinean
coast were observed to use a “beaching” technique to hunt for seals. An orca
would seemingly appear to be in distress, and then would lunge at nearby seals.
Beaching and wave hunting techniques seem to be taught to the young by pod
elders. For example, hunters of the Antarctic group have been seen putting back
living seals on the ice after catching them, seemingly to allow the young
swimming alongside to have a try. As Ingrid Visser of the Orca Research Trust in
New Zealand says, “This is orca culture.”
The Orcas have many lessons for us as well. In life, importance lies not solely
in genetics, but in the interconnectedness developed in the individuals of a
society. Nature teaches us that by working together harmoniously, we can achieve
much more than by isolating ourselves in a frantic survival race..
Today, human culture is threatened by our disconnection from each other, from
previous generations and the greater history of humankind. Classical philosophy
encourages us to seek out and understand our connection to a greater human
heritage. This would allow not only for a connection to the valid and lasting
values transmitted to us through previous generations, but also for the
development of a culture at the service of the elevation of the human being.
