A pod of at least 10 killer whales is reportedly trapped in sea ice off Japan’s northern coast, and authorities say there is no way to rescue them.
A local fisherman discovered a pod of whales trapped in sea ice off the coast of Rausu town in eastern Hokkaido and reported the horrifying discovery to the Rausu Coast Guard Station on Tuesday morning.
“We have no choice but to wait for the ice to melt and for them to escape,” a Rausu official said. NHK World Japan.
For now, rescuers are unable to get close to the killer whales because ice flows (large chunks of floating ice) are blocking them from reaching the whales.
Officials said the lack of wind in the area could also be a major factor in the whale remaining trapped.
Because the wind does not help move the ice flow, the ice flow is not broken up as much as it should be to create space for the pods to escape.
The ice surrounding Hokkaido’s coast is the lowest latitude sea ice in the world, but authorities say its levels have been declining for years as the planet warms.
The group Wildlife Pros was conducting another marine survey nearby when the whale was reported to have been caught. They were able to capture drone footage of killer whales.
heartbreaking 40 second video It shows a whale struggling up and down on the surface of the water between ice streams.
“I saw about 13 orcas sticking their heads out of holes in the ice,” the Wildlife Pro employee who filmed the video told NHK.
“They seemed to be having trouble breathing and looked like they had three or four calves.”
The report said local meteorological authorities feared the current was growing even larger as the water thrown up by the whale had frozen.
Rausu town officials said the situation was similar to a 2005 incident in which a pod of killer whales became trapped in an ice floe and later died, also off the coast of the town.
Town officials say they can only hope that the animals will be freed on their own.
It is estimated that there are approximately 50,000 orcas in the world’s oceans. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Several killer whale populations have declined in recent decades, and some are at risk of extinction due to overhunting and habitat loss.
The average lifespan of male killer whales is about 30 years, but some can live longer than that, at least 60 years.
Females typically live about 50 years, but some have lived at least 90 years in the wild, according to NOAA.
