Skaana with Mark Leiren-Young cover art

Skaana with Mark Leiren-Young

Skaana with Mark Leiren-Young

By: Mark Leiren-Young
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Summary

 About Skaana:


Skaana with Mark Leiren-Young — Ocean, Eco‑Ethics & the Environment — Interviews for a Changing Planet is a podcast for anyone who loves the ocean and the animals who live there.

Host Mark Leiren-Young dives beneath the surface with scientists, authors, activists, and other dolphin-friendly humans for candid conversations about marine life, conservation, eco‑ethics, and the issues shaping our future.

Launched in 2017 with a focus on orcas, Skaana has expanded to explore sharks, octopuses, whales, and the wider web of ocean stories—fact-based, curious, and always grounded in respect for life in the sea. Dive in and make waves with us.


About Our Pod:


Mark Leiren-Young (Host): Mark is an author, screenwriter, playwright, journalist, performer, and environmentalist. His book The Killer Whale Who Changed the World won the 2016 Science Writers and Communicators Award, and his comic memoir Never Shoot a Stampede Queen won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Mark also wrote and directed The Hundred-Year-Old Whale, which won the 2018 Writers Guild of Canada Award for Best Documentary.

  • Substack: https://leirenyoung.substack.com/
  • Website: https://www.leiren-young.com/


Bug Lewis (Producer & Audio Engineer): Bug is Skaana’s producer and audio engineer, with a creative background spanning poetry, music, and acting. They were first published as a poet at fifteen (Poetry on Buses) and performed as a musician/actor with the ensemble for Desdemona Chiang’s Measure for Measure at the Seattle Shakespeare Company.


Rayne Ellycrys Benu (Executive Producer): Rayne is an award-winning cinematographer and artist, and a nationally published festival and theatre photographer. Their work spans filmmaking (directing, editing, sound, video), interactive/digital storytelling, and visual art—bringing a creative, multidisciplinary lens to Skaana’s mission and production.

  • Substack: https://ellycrys.substack.com/
  • Skool: https://www.skool.com/reiki-online-7404

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Perpetual Motion Productions Biological Sciences Nature & Ecology Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Camille Labchuk on Animal Rights and Wrongs

    Camille Labchuk on Animal Rights and Wrongs
    May 15 2026
    Sometimes animals who hang out with humans need a vet. Sometimes they need a lawyer. The belugas at Marineland in Niagara Falls need both. Whales around the world need sanctuary. And sharks everywhere were saved by a Canadian law. Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice, returns to Skaana to talk with host Mark Leiren-Young about fighting for animals who live in the water and on the land. "Some things did change and they're going in the right direction."To Support Camille Labchuk & Animal JusticeAnimal JusticeInstagramFacebookYouTubeTik TokHer first Skaana interview - talking about shark-finning and more in 2019To Support/follow Skaana:Subscribe to the Skaana newsletter on SubstackJoin and support the Pod at PatreonLinktreeFacebookBlueskyInstagramSkaana on iTunes… Skaana.ca & SpotifyTo Support/follow Mark:Subscribe to Mark Leiren-Young’s newsletter on SubstackLinktreeFacebookBlueskyInstagramThreadsBooks and classes for sale from Team Skaana**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!**Octopus Ocean by Mark Leiren-YoungSharks Forever by Mark Leiren-YoungAudiobooks by Mark Leiren-Young (Killer Whale Who Changed the World, Orcas Everywhere & Never Shoot a Stampede Queen) on Audible.comThe Killer Whale Who Changed the World – print and e-bookThe Killer Whale Who Changed the World on SpotifyOrcas Everywhere on SpotifyOrcas Everywhere; Orcas of the Salish Sea & Big Whales, Small World Paint the Ocean You Wish to See with Rayne Ellycrys BenuThe Force of Doubt by Rayne Ellycrys BenuSubscribe to the Skaana newsletter at Substack: https://skaanapod.substack.com/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/skaana Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
  • When Orcas “Attack” – Alexandra Johnston on the world’s most infamous whales

    When Orcas “Attack” – Alexandra Johnston on the world’s most infamous whales
    Jan 10 2026
    Iberian orca guardian, Alexandra Johnston, talks with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young about hanging out with the world’s most infamous orcas. On orcas as click-bait – the orcas who are “attacking” boats and how social media is creating orca hysteria. “Blue fin tuna is their main prey source. They are fish eaters, not boat eaters.” Alexandra Johnston. “I really feel these orcas have been used as click-bait for the last five years.” On the infamous White Gladys: “She’s a part of this family that’s fighting to survive. She’s very authoritative, she’s very dominant, she’s very curious, but she’s not this bloodthirsty tyrant leading this orca rebellion!” Skaana on social media: LinktreeFacebookBlueskyInstagram Mark on social media: LinktreeFacebookBlueskyInstagramThreads Shownotes: 2:22 Meet Alexandra Johnston – an “orca attack” survivor. 3:35 “These guys blew my mind… I was just fascinated from my first encounter.” – Alexandra Johnson 4:35 The first time she met an Iberian orcas and the magic of encountering their superpod. 6:34 Meeting the “infamous” White Gladys and her newborn baby, Atlas. 8:14 On the first time she saw a wild orca. 10:45 “It’s something very spiritual with the southern residents, isn’t it?” 14:35 “There is a big difference between their culture and their behaviour. When I talk about the Iberians -they’re spicy, that’s how I like to describe them. They are very curious.” 17:05 “Blue fin tuna is their main prey source. They are fish eaters, not boat eaters.” 17:50 On Iberian orca dialect. “They’re screechy.” 22:23 On the Iberian orcas LONG history or interacting with boars and social media creating orca hysteria. 24:35 On the Jaws effect and “I really feel these orcas have been used as click-bait for the last five years.” 28:00 On the experience of being on a boat when an orca starts “interacting” with it. “I very seldom see these news articles mention that this population is critically endangered… People are taking weapons out into the water.” 32:10 On working with Ric O’Barry and the importance of focusing on the animals. 34:30 The legends and myths of the infamous White Gladys – the Luigi Mangione of orcas. Why Gladys? It comes from gladiator! “She’s a part of this family that’s fighting to survive. She’s very authoritative, she’s very dominant, she’s very curious, but she’s not this bloodthirsty tyrant leading this orca rebellion!” 37:28 The scoop on The Dolphin Project – if you’re interested, please check out our recent interview with Dolphin Project founder, Ric O’Barry. 46:11 “I hope people are able to fall in love with them like everybody along the Peninsula here has to.” 47:10 Killer Whales – the song! Written and performed by Skaana host, Mark Leiren-Young. Skaana podcasts connect you with experts and their thoughts on oceans, eco-ethics and the environment. Skaana homepageMark’s homepageThe Killer Whale Who Changed the World audiobook on Audible and SpotifyJoin and support the Pod at PatreonSubscribe to the Skaana newsletter on SubstackSubscribe to Mark Leiren-Young’s newsletter on SubstackSpotifyAppleThe Orca Bites Podcast (on anchor)Skaana on Medium……www.orcatales.com Support Our Guest Instagram: Orca GuardiansInstagram: Alexandra JohnstonThe Dolphin Project websiteDolphin Project FacebookInstagram – Dolphin ProjectYouTube – Dolphin ProjectTwitch – Dolphin Project Books and classes for sale from Team Skaana **Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!** Octopus Ocean by Mark Leiren-YoungSharks Forever by Mark Leiren-YoungAudiobooks by Mark Leiren-Young (Killer Whale Who Changed the World, Orcas Everywhere & Never Shoot a Stampede Queen) on Audible.comThe Killer Whale Who Changed the World – print and e-bookThe Killer Whale Who Changed the World on SpotifyOrcas Everywhere on SpotifyOrcas Everywhere; Orcas of the Salish Sea & Big Whales, Small World Paint the Ocean You Wish to See with Rayne Ellycrys BenuThe Force of Doubt by Rayne Ellycrys Benu
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • Polar Bear Jail, Chilling in Churchill & Hanging Out With the Apex Predator on Ice

    Polar Bear Jail, Chilling in Churchill & Hanging Out With the Apex Predator on Ice
    Dec 11 2025
    Have you ever met a polar bear? They’re the fiercest animal on earth, one of the most iconic and one of the most chill – in every possible way. Cate Collins – the lead scientist/science translator – for polar bear tours to Churchill, Manitoba talks with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young about hanging out with polar bears, polar bear mating and the impact of the climate crisis on their habits and habitat. “They are the top of the food chain… and they don’t have too much to be scared of.” – Cate Collins Skaana on social media: LinktreeFacebookBlueskyInstagram Mark on social media: LinktreeFacebookBlueskyInstagramThreads Shownotes: 2:20 Meet Cate Collins – polar bear expert. 3:42 The first time she saw a polar bear. 6:15 The bears… they’ve grown accustomed to our face(s). “They are the top of the food chain… and they don’t have too much to be scared of.” 8:38 Buggy love… 9:22 Polar bear jail and how to deal with the prisoners. 15:37 The ins and outs of Polar bear mating. 18:27 On why polar bears are marine mammals and the bears who never leave the ice. 23:00 On the impact of the vanishing ice and the challenges for bears and their babies. 27:15 Polar bear diets – LIPOVORES! Yep, they are fat-eaters. 31:18 “Their paws are like the size of dinner plates… seeing how massive they are is just incredible.” 33:51 Dancer and polar bear celebrities. 44:26 The discovery of a new polar bear population in Greenland – bears adapting to the changing climate. Skaana podcasts connect you with experts and their thoughts on oceans, eco-ethics and the environment. Skaana homepageMark’s homepageThe Killer Whale Who Changed the World audiobook on Audible and SpotifyJoin and support the Pod at PatreonSubscribe to the Skaana newsletter on SubstackSubscribe to Mark Leiren-Young’s newsletter on SubstackSpotifyAppleThe Orca Bites Podcast (on anchor)Skaana on Medium……www.orcatales.com Cate Collins & Polar bear skull Support Our Guest Cate Collins – official bio at Gold Star Canadian Tours Cate Collins – LinkedIn Books and classes for sale from Team Skaana **Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!** Octopus Ocean by Mark Leiren-YoungSharks Forever by Mark Leiren-YoungAudiobooks by Mark Leiren-Young (Killer Whale Who Changed the World, Orcas Everywhere & Never Shoot a Stampede Queen) on Audible.comThe Killer Whale Who Changed the World – print and e-bookThe Killer Whale Who Changed the World on SpotifyOrcas Everywhere on SpotifyOrcas Everywhere; Orcas of the Salish Sea & Big Whales, Small World Paint the Ocean You Wish to See with Rayne Ellycrys BenuThe Force of Doubt by Rayne Ellycrys Benu
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
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