BC Ferries to Make Robotic Whales

September 28, 2008 by Matthew Mcgarnickle

BC Ferries announced yesterday that they have approached a robotics company to build them 12 animatronic killer whales.

The 12 animitronic whales will be strategically placed along the ferry corridors to maximize viewing opportunities. The robotic whales will look and behave just like regular killer whales. They will travel in pods, chase and eat fish and breech out of the water. It is also rumored that some of the robotic whales will even be able to jump right over the ferry so passengers will be able to rub their bellies. This idea was inspired by the movie Free Willy.

The announcement comes after increasing complaints from Ferry passengers that they didn’t see any whales during their voyage. “I paid to travel on this ferry service and I was very disappointed that I didn’t see any whales,” said Johnny Green, a tourist visiting from South Carolina. “With the amount of money I paid to take this ferry, I expect to see some killer whales killing other whales.”

Not everyone is excited about this project though. The Marine Wildlife Committee has a lot of questions about the impacts the project will have on the environment. “What happens if the real killer whales start to interact with the robotic whales,” asked Glennys Hearse, treasurer of the Marine Wildlife Committee. “The psychological impacts to the killer whale population would be disastrous.”

Jeremy Davids, spokesman for BC Ferries, was quick to respond to Hearse’s question. “We are not concerned with the impacts of real/robotic whale interaction because the robotic killer whales are equipped with tools to alleviate any conflicts. If a real whale gets too close to our robotic whales, the robotic whales will release a poisonous liquid that will destroy all wildlife within a 50 metre radius, which will reduce any potential future conflicts. Real killer whales are very unreliable, so we’re fixing that”

The animintronic whales are expected to start showing up in the summer of 2009. To fund the project BC Ferries will be introducing a $3.00 surcharge for all customers, called the Orca Tax.

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