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Killer whales are among the most powerful and deadly predators in the world. Few animals come close to matching their accuracy or killer instinct when hunting for food. Even a great white shark is no match for a killer whale. However, the one thing that can and will stop them is dry land. Their immense strength is rendered useless when they become beached or stranded on rocks, like the poor young orca in this video.
The female whale was left high and dry off the coast of British Columbia when an attempt to catch some tasty fish suddenly took a turn for the worse. As the tide went out in Hartley Bay she ended up stuck in a shallow pool atop a rock outcropping. It wasn’t very long before her entire body was completely out of the water and fully exposed to the elements. She couldn’t have picked a worse time to become trapped weather-wise, it was late July and the summer sun was beating down on her black skin, drying it out and sapping her energy. Without human intervention the killer whale would likely die before the tide returned.
Thankfully a man spotted her and immediately called for help. Local volunteers from the animal rescue group Gitga’at Guardians of Hartley Bay converged on the scene along with others from Cetacea Lab and the For Whales Organization. They had to find a way to keep the young killer whale as wet and cool as possible until the tide returned.
The group covered her body with ocean soaked sheets and capped her dorsal fin with a pillow case. They rigged up a water pump and hosed her down continuously throughout the day. All the while they worked as smooth and silently as they could, in order to help keep the whale calm and relaxed.
Even though she was only nine years old and relatively small, weighing in at an estimated 7,000 pounds, it was no small task keeping her wet, calm and cool for a continuous eight hours. If she freaked out she could have easily over exerted herself and suffocated to death.
A whale’s lungs are mainly supported by water and so when they’re not in the water it becomes very difficult to breathe because their immense size places a lot of pressure on the lungs. Every breathe she took was difficult but at some point during the rescue her breathing steadied and she’d finally relaxed.
When the tide finally came in and submerged her the rescuers quietly left and headed for higher ground. They wanted her to decide on the right moment to leave, it was the safest way for everyone involved, especially the whale. The young orca seemed to know freedom was close as she grew more and more vocal and patiently waited for the right moment to make a break.
Finally the water level was high enough and she shot off the rocks into the open water. The whale was free at last as she went swimming off into the distance to find her family. All the rescuers looking on whooped and shouted cries of relief, their efforts and hard work had paid off. They all have one incredible whale of a tale to tell now and it’s the best kind, one with a happy ending.
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