Dear MARMAM list - please consider running the following query for experts on killer whales for a new book from St. Martin's Press. Thank you very much, David Kirby 718-230-4250. ----------------------------------------------- My name is David Kirby, an author and journalist from New York and a Huffington Post contributor. I am currently completing a new non-fiction book for St. Martin’s Press about killer whales in the wild and captivity, and the potential impact of keeping Orcinus orca for public display on the animals themselves. (This book does not discuss keeping killer whales for research purposes, and it does not investigate other cetacean species in captivity). I would very much like to interview experts from the marine mammal field – in both the scientific and public display communities – who would be willing to provide a counterbalance to the opinions expressed by animal welfare advocates and certain researchers and environmentalists who oppose captivity for this species. I would like to discuss issues such as longevity, nutrition, general health, dental health, social behavior, and aggression - as well as the measurable impact of the industry’s contributions to killer whale research, conservation and education on populations in the wild. Please contact me if you or someone you know would be willing to speak to these issues for the book, which will be released in May, 2012. Many thanks, David Kirby dkirby@nyc.rr.com Last Book: www.animalfactorybook.com