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Born in Germany, Heike has a lifelong love of the ocean and an ever-increasing urge to understand, preserve and protect its largest inhabitants.
“Sound is everything for these animals and if you want to dive into their world you also have to dive into their sounds”, says Heike. “Listening to them is a huge part of what we need, to better manage our world”
Heike pioneered behavioural acoustic studies of Killer Whales and Pilot Whales in Norway. She could hear what others couldn’t hear (or see). Pressure on cetacean populations needs to be managed and the only way to do this, is to report from under the water, yet mostly this vital perspective is ignored. In any case, there are few people in the world able to listen and understand what’s going on. To understand their mood and behaviour is a huge leap in our ability to comprehend and maybe even empathise with their needs. After all, these mammals are not all that different from us.
“I immediately listen to their behaviour and try to figure out what they are doing. With this instinctive knowledge I can hear when they are feeding, resting or playing, or if there is a disturbance”, says Heike.
“It’s about trying to put yourself in the perspective of the animals”, Heike says. “You can’t do this with pictures or film footage and you can’t even do it by watching whales, you have to be able to listen”.
“Sound is everything for these animals and if you want to dive into their world you also have to dive into their sounds”, says Heike. “Listening to them is a huge part of what we need, to better manage our world”
Heike pioneered behavioural acoustic studies of Killer Whales and Pilot Whales in Norway. She could hear what others couldn’t hear (or see). Pressure on cetacean populations needs to be managed and the only way to do this, is to report from under the water, yet mostly this vital perspective is ignored. In any case, there are few people in the world able to listen and understand what’s going on. To understand their mood and behaviour is a huge leap in our ability to comprehend and maybe even empathise with their needs. After all, these mammals are not all that different from us.
“I immediately listen to their behaviour and try to figure out what they are doing. With this instinctive knowledge I can hear when they are feeding, resting or playing, or if there is a disturbance”, says Heike.
“It’s about trying to put yourself in the perspective of the animals”, Heike says. “You can’t do this with pictures or film footage and you can’t even do it by watching whales, you have to be able to listen”.