This is presumably covered at great length in other works, but still, a little more detail would be welcome. As a result, surprisingly little attention is paid to the exploits of the Eden pod(s) during the time of the whales' partnership with the Twofold Bay whalers. Clode's chosen structure is odd, dumping a bunch of biographical and historical detail at the start and then slowly circling back through subsequent chapters about general whale biology (as a rule, information should start broad and get narrower as it proceeds). Using our modern knowledge of killer whales to untangle fact from myth, Danielle uncovers the truly remarkable history of the killers in Eden.Ī meandering but generally informative biological exploration of one of the most fascinating periods in the history of Australia and also whaling generally. In Killers in Eden Danielle Clode explores how this relationship between whaler and killer whale developed.

The body of the last killer whale, Old Tom, was retrieved in 1930-marking the end of an era in Australian history.

It was a life of industry, adventure and a strange and unique partnership between whale and man.Īs fewer baleen whales frequented the Australian east coast, the killer whales and the whaling industry they supported slowly disappeared.

The whale men regard these creatures as important allies.The killers show no fear of the boats but will attack the whale at the same time and if the boat is stove, which often happens, they will not hurt the men when in the water.The Australian natives of Twofold Bay say the killers are the spirits of their own people and when they see them they.point out particular individuals they have known.' Oswald Brierly, 3 August 1861įor a century, the killer whales of Twofold Bay herded baleen whales towards the harpoons of local whalers, helping them hunt and sharing the rewards.

Killers In Eden by Danielle Clode