The US federal agency responsible for the protection of the marine environment received news of a killer whale stranded on the rocks around 9 am on Thursday. The animal was spotted on the border of Alaska and British Columbia passing by a private vessel.
The six-meter whale was about 1.5 meters above the high tide line. The tide was expected only in the evening. Keith kept screaming while lying on the rocks. Other killer whales were seen nearby.
Marine mammal experts decided to wait and watch, hoping that with the tide, the killer whale would be able to refloat and leave the beach.
The crew of the vessel, with the approval of the Agency, pumped water and watered the whale for half a day to save it from dehydration. People also chased away birds of prey that were already intent on having a meal.
After lunch, the first signs of high tide appeared, and by 15:00 the water level had risen enough for the whale to move aground. At first, the animal moved a little awkwardly in the water, and then confidently swam away along with its relatives.
Experts from the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans found out that the incident occurred with a young 13-year-old killer whale, which is also called “transit whales”. This species of killer whale migrates along the coast from Alaska to California, and it is they who prey on pinnipeds most often.
There is an opinion on social networks that the whale accident could have been provoked by an 8.2-magnitude earthquake in Alaska.
However, experts reject this theory, explaining that it was about a thousand kilometers to the epicenter of the disaster.
At the same time, incidents with killer whales stranded on the shore are, although not common, but by no means a unique phenomenon, and in most cases there are no explainable reasons for it.
If it was interesting, please share it with your friends and family !
