From fearsome ‘killer whales’ to headline acts
An orca exhibition London visitors are flocking to is part of a wider effort to reframe how we see this apex predator. For generations, orcas were branded “killer whales”, their power and hunting skills used as proof that they were dangerous and best kept at a distance. Today, exhibitions and documentaries present them instead as intelligent, social animals with complex family ties and cultures of their own. This shift in public perception of orcas matters. When we label a species as a ruthless killer, we tend to care less about its fate. When we see it as a charismatic, almost celebrity creature, we feel moved to protect it. The same animal has not changed; our stories about it have. Those stories influence which species become conservation symbols, and which quietly slip from view.
Magpies, dandelions and the making of a ‘pest’
If orcas show how an animal can rise to icon status, the humble magpie shows how one can sink into the category of “pest”. In a Colorado valley, students often dismiss black-billed magpies as loud, annoying and “everywhere”, echoing views they hear at home. Yet naturalists observing them on morning walks see intricate social lives: birds touching bills, chattering in what looks like flirtation, and constantly “up to something” in the willows. A similar prejudice shapes our war on dandelions. One farmer battles them in his grass fields, overlooking their role as early food for pollinators and soil-improving plants. As one educator argues, we often decide that animals seen as pests are simply those we encounter frequently and do not find useful. Shift the lens to intelligence, adaptability and ecological roles, and the very same species become remarkable instead of disposable.
Frequency, utility, beauty: quiet rules of wildlife status
Put the orca exhibition and the magpie story side by side, and a pattern appears in how we value wildlife. Animals we rarely see, like orcas, gain mysterious allure. Their distance makes each encounter special, perfectly suited to a culture that “collects” wildlife experiences as bucket-list trophies. By contrast, animals seen as pests are often the ones that share our spaces daily: magpies in the car park, dandelions in the lawn, ants in the kitchen. We meet them so often that we stop really seeing them. Utility is another filter. Species that pollinate crops or entertain us become desirable; those that nibble our vegetables or simply fail to impress are targeted or ignored. Aesthetics completes the trio. Smooth black-and-white orcas read as beautiful; scruffy urban birds do not. These quiet rules guide which animals we feed, photograph, protect or eradicate, usually without us noticing.
What our biases mean for city nature lovers
For urban wildlife appreciation, these biases have real consequences. City and suburban nature lovers eagerly travel or queue for curated experiences such as an orca exhibition London residents might visit, yet may overlook the wild drama unfolding outside their windows. We invest time learning the life histories of iconic species, while the birds scavenging in drains or nesting under shop awnings become background noise or targets for complaints. This same pattern plays out with insects, snakes and small mammals across Malaysian cities. We tend to photograph hornbills and sea turtles, but label mynas, rats or certain lizards as dirty or dangerous without understanding their behaviour. When we treat some species as worthy of wonder and others as mere inconvenience, we narrow our sense of connection to nature and weaken public support for everyday conservation in the very places we live.
Expanding your Malaysian wildlife watchlist
Changing how we value wildlife starts with small, practical shifts in how we look. In Malaysia’s cities and suburbs, try building a personal “watchlist” that goes beyond cute or charismatic animals. On your next walk, spend five minutes focused only on one common species you usually ignore: the swiftlets looping over traffic, the house geckos on corridor walls, the yellow-vented bulbul in your condominium garden. Notice their routines, calls, and interactions. Read briefly about their ecological roles, just as the magpie’s defender did before coming to revere that noisy bird. In gardens, leave a dandelion-like corner wild and see which insects arrive. When you visit aquariums or international shows featuring orcas, use the experience as a prompt: which local predators, scavengers or “weeds” might be telling equally complex stories right outside, if you chose to look and listen?