Daniel Alarcón

All told, it's estimated that some 3 million individual whales were killed by humans in the 20th century. By the early 1970s, scientists understood that whales were far more scarce than we'd all previously thought, and began warning that the steep declines they were seeing in wild populations might be irreversible.

All told, it's estimated that some 3 million individual whales were killed by humans in the 20th century. By the early 1970s, scientists understood that whales were far more scarce than we'd all previously thought, and began warning that the steep declines they were seeing in wild populations might be irreversible.

In response, the Save the Whales movement was born, with the goal of ending commercial whaling worldwide, a bold, quixotic idea to convince the countries that still practiced whaling to simply stop. I'm telling you all this because in a way, everything that happens to Keiko a couple of decades later is a result of it, of this idea that these creatures were worth protecting.

In response, the Save the Whales movement was born, with the goal of ending commercial whaling worldwide, a bold, quixotic idea to convince the countries that still practiced whaling to simply stop. I'm telling you all this because in a way, everything that happens to Keiko a couple of decades later is a result of it, of this idea that these creatures were worth protecting.

And it's also when this next significant person in Keiko's life enters the story, a guy by the name of Dave Phillips. I was pretty young then.

And it's also when this next significant person in Keiko's life enters the story, a guy by the name of Dave Phillips. I was pretty young then.

It was the late 70s. The Save the Whales campaign was just starting to pick up steam, and Dave wanted in. So he packed up his life, drove his turquoise Volkswagen Rabbit out to California, and soon joined the movement to do his part.

It was the late 70s. The Save the Whales campaign was just starting to pick up steam, and Dave wanted in. So he packed up his life, drove his turquoise Volkswagen Rabbit out to California, and soon joined the movement to do his part.

So yeah, he was kind of a hippie, but he was a hippie with a degree in biology who found he was too impatient to spend his adult life in a lab studying the minutia of wildlife without doing anything to save it. Given the scale of the environmental crisis he saw, science moved too slowly for him. The central message for the Save the Whales campaign was simple. Whales are not commodities.

So yeah, he was kind of a hippie, but he was a hippie with a degree in biology who found he was too impatient to spend his adult life in a lab studying the minutia of wildlife without doing anything to save it. Given the scale of the environmental crisis he saw, science moved too slowly for him. The central message for the Save the Whales campaign was simple. Whales are not commodities.

They're living beings. This message was everywhere. There were bumper stickers and t-shirts emblazoned with the words Save the Whales. The slogan itself becoming so ubiquitous it was almost cliche, played as a punchline. There were Save the Whales marches and rallies across the world, and Dave was there for all of it.

They're living beings. This message was everywhere. There were bumper stickers and t-shirts emblazoned with the words Save the Whales. The slogan itself becoming so ubiquitous it was almost cliche, played as a punchline. There were Save the Whales marches and rallies across the world, and Dave was there for all of it.

Most importantly, he was there in 1982, a pivotal moment in his career, when the International Whaling Commission caved to the pressure and voted to impose a worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling. They'd done it. They'd saved the whales from what many felt was their almost certain extinction. So Dave learned two things. One, to succeed, your message had to be everywhere.

Most importantly, he was there in 1982, a pivotal moment in his career, when the International Whaling Commission caved to the pressure and voted to impose a worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling. They'd done it. They'd saved the whales from what many felt was their almost certain extinction. So Dave learned two things. One, to succeed, your message had to be everywhere.

If your slogan becomes a joke, so be it. At least people are hearing the message. And two, whales are magic. It's that simple. They're just one of those species that people fall in love with. A decade later, in the 90s, Dave's still in the environmental movement, still advocating for wild whales and attending meetings. And it's at one of these meetings in Glasgow when he gets a call.

If your slogan becomes a joke, so be it. At least people are hearing the message. And two, whales are magic. It's that simple. They're just one of those species that people fall in love with. A decade later, in the 90s, Dave's still in the environmental movement, still advocating for wild whales and attending meetings. And it's at one of these meetings in Glasgow when he gets a call.

He's out to dinner with a few colleagues when somebody comes up to the table and says, Is Mr. Phillips here?

He's out to dinner with a few colleagues when somebody comes up to the table and says, Is Mr. Phillips here?

I haven't introduced you to Dick Donner yet, but I did mention his wife, Lauren Schuller Donner. Together, they were a legit Hollywood power couple, producing or directing blockbusters like The Goonies and Superman. Dick has since passed away, but Lauren told me that they both were self-proclaimed animal lunatics. David actually worked with the couple before.

I haven't introduced you to Dick Donner yet, but I did mention his wife, Lauren Schuller Donner. Together, they were a legit Hollywood power couple, producing or directing blockbusters like The Goonies and Superman. Dick has since passed away, but Lauren told me that they both were self-proclaimed animal lunatics. David actually worked with the couple before.