Allegedly, an orca attacked its trainer, Jessica Radcliff, and killed her in a viral TikTok video. However, there was a twist; this didn’t even happen, and there’s no one called Jessica Radcliff. It was all an AI hoax, but it raised some valid concerns.

From Apex Predator to PR Disaster

Let’s just preface this by saying that orcas are rarely violent towards humans, and they get their killer reputation from killing whales, as they are on the highest tier of the ocean’s food chain. Which is a total slay as they are much smaller than whales. They are not violent; they are actually just really quirky, and we’re misunderstanding them. One thing’s for sure, though, they are not like other mammals.

More Adorable than Pandas, And More Relatable than You Think

Pandas are not the only adorable black and white animals; they are known for their idiocy and how funny it makes them on video. On the other extreme is the black and white whale killer dolphin. They are so smart, making them as adorable as pandas or even more.

Cultural Traditions Under the Sea

Orcas live in pods, not like ours, where two people are usually telling you that you need to get into that hustle mindset; a pod is a family of orcas. Each pod has the closest thing to a language the animal world has. They are highly evolved, and each pod has its own traditions and customs. Even animals can’t escape peer pressure!

Just Teenagers with Fins

We are impressed by our pets when they show signs of intelligence, like when a parrot says hello back. Well, the IQ of the parrot is similar to that of a 5-year-old child, while that of an orca is similar to that of a 16-year-old! They are basically teenagers who like to prank people; they just don’t realise how big they are in comparison to us. Imagine them as your annoying teenage sibling. 

The Best Non-Human Tricksters

One of their favourite tricks is going to the shore pretending to need help. When people go to check it out, the orcas make a sound almost like laughing, saying “Gotcha,” and go back into the water. Another loved trick is rocking boats, making them flip over, then putting them back as they were, also helping the sailors back on the ship, but it can easily be mistaken for violence. Orcas even have jokes among themselves, and they make certain sounds that scientists have recognised as laughter.

Human-like Emotions and Imprisonment

Orcas are like us in more ways than we think; they have language and communities, traditions, and even a sense of humour. They also understand the concept of freedom. It’s not improbable that they feel trapped and rage when they are taken out of their natural habitat and forced to perform. All the recorded attacks on humans from orcas were instances where they were being mistreated and starved. They react in similar ways to us, so these attacks are out of frustration and revenge. Even the orcas born in captivity know they are captives.

Rescue Missions with Fins

In a past incident where a trainer ended up breaking a couple of ribs, the orca he was training knew his ribs were broken due to their echolocation, which is similar to SONAR, so it dragged him to safety by the feet so he wouldn’t be in pain. That doesn’t feel like a naturally violent creature at all. It feels like an animal that knows how to form a deep, affectionate bond with a human.

Orcas are as friendly as it gets. It’s on us to understand their nature and respect the natural order of things.