Drone footage shows struggling killer whales trapped in ice off Japan's Hokkaido
Killer whales
A pod of orcas, or killer whales, appeared to be trapped in drift ice off the coast of Hokkaido in northern Japan on Tuesday (Feb 6), causing concerns among authorities and environmentalists.
NHK, which is a Japanese public broadcaster, aired footage on Tuesday (Feb 6), which showed at least 10 orcas. The killer whales were seen poking out of a small gap in the surface. The drone footage was provided by the group Wildlife Pro.
They were spotted struggling in the water that is about 1 km off the coast of Rausu on the Shiretoko peninsula, which is a Unesco world heritage site famed for its abundant wildlife.
The killer whales were seen clustered together and appeared to be sticking their heads out of the water to breathe. The largest cetaceans can spend extended periods of time underwater, although killer whales typically stay submerged for only a few minutes.
As per a report in the Japanese Yomiuri newspaper, the drift ice had been moving southward and reached the coast of Rausu on Tuesday morning.
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The Yomiuri said that in 2005, nine killer whales died after getting trapped in drift ice off Rausu.
Watch the video here:
The coast guard had been alerted by a fisherman, but all the attempts to free the mammals have failed so far because the thick ice had made it impossible.
As quoted in reports, a Rausu official told NHK, "We have no choice but to wait for the ice to break up and for them to escape that way."
As mentioned in media reports, Seiichiro Tsuchiya, who is a marine life expert, told the station that he observed the pod while conducting research into the local sea lion population. He filmed the animals using a drone.
He said, "I saw about 13 killer whales with their heads sticking out of a hole in the ice. They seemed to be struggling to breathe, and it looked like they included three or four calves."
Every winter, drift ice blankets the sea off the eastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island. The amount of ice has reduced in recent years as a result of rising water temperatures induced by the climate catastrophe.
(With inputs from agencies)