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Back in 2001, this little orca whale popped up in Canada's Nootka Sound.
The catch? He was only two years old, and he was completely alone!
Luna, as he would come to be named, was separated from his family--so he decided to build a new family with the residents of Nootka Sound.
His playful personality earned him a big reputation, swimming up to boats with sticks or anything he could play with.
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He crossed several species barriers, becoming friendly with Henry the dog as well.
Here he is again, determined to become this dog's friend despite his ferocious barking.
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But Luna would pretty much be friends with anyone who gave him attention.
And even if you didn't give him attention at first, he'd find a way to get it from you.
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Since he didn't have any orca friends, all he had were the people of Nootka Sound.
And they grew to love him (who couldn't?).
Though, wildlife laws restricted humans from interacting with Luna.
But he was lonely (and a bit pushy) and he started causing trouble in Nootka sound, rubbing up against boats and float planes for attention.
And soon...
everybody started giving in again.
Luna was a gift to the people of Nootka sound...
he allowed them to interact with wildlife in a way that's never been seen before.
And in many ways, he moved the human-animal connection past the scientific and into a real relationship.
To hear Luna's full story, check out his documentary, "The Whale" (you can watch it on Netflix!).
Official trailer for "The Whale":
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