New orca exhibit opens at Royal BC Museum in Victoria

The exhibit is open until January, 2022: (Royal BC Museum / Facebook)

Victoria — Orcas: Our Shared Future is the Royal British Columbia Museum's (RBCM) latest feature exhibit, and it's now open to the public.

The exhibit takes a deep dive into the stories and science surrounding these iconic West Coast marine mammals. On display are life-sized whale replicas, an orca skeleton, an interactive station and more than 100 Indigenous artifacts.

The museum says visitors will explore current ecological activism, popular culture and Indigenous beliefs to gain a deeper understanding of how orcas and humans are connected.

"It’s really important for us to be able to present the balance of First Nations histories and connections to orcas, but also the ecosystem in which these orcas travel," said Lou-ann Neel, RBCM acting head of Indigenous Collections and Repatriation.

"It's a great balance in this exhibit to be able to reflect on that, talk about it, and in our interactive sections it gives people a chance to think through, 'What can you do differently everyday to protect our earth?'" said Neel.

While the exhibit is open in downtown Victoria, the museum is building a virtual tour so out-of-towners can enjoy the displays despite B.C.'s travel restrictions.

The opening of the exhibit was delayed a year due to the pandemic, but is now open and will run until Jan. 9, 2022.

Health and safety protocols are in place and constant cleaning is conducted to keep the exhibit safe, says the museum.

To book a time to see the orca exhibits up close, visit the RBCM website.