Orcas battle humpbacks in interspecies skirmish caught on camera off Vancouver Island
An international whale watching and conservation group says some of its members came across a rare and dramatic encounter between orcas and humpbacks off Vancouver Island this week.
According to the Pacific Whale Watch Association, a large group of transient orcas – also known as Bigg's orcas – were seen harassing a pair of humpback whales near the maritime border between the U.S. and Canada Thursday morning.
The incident began shortly after 11 a.m. in the Juan de Fuca Strait, roughly 40 kilometres west of Victoria and Port Angeles, Wash., the PWWA said in a news release.
"Crew members with Eagle Wing Tours were the first to locate a group of approximately 15 killer whales being unusually active at the surface," the group said in its statement.
"Not long afterward, another whale watcher, captain Jimmy Zakreski of BC Whale Tours discovered the likely cause of the orcas’ excitement: two humpback whales in their midst."
The PWWA says it's not unprecedented for orcas to attack humpbacks, but it's a rare occurrence, as they typically hunt smaller prey like seals, sea lions and porpoises.
The group says there have been no recorded instances of orcas killing humpback whales in B.C. waters, though it expects conflicts between the two species to increase in the coming years, as both transient orca and humpback populations in the region have been growing.
"According to observers who came and went throughout the day, the encounter included an astonishing three hours of breaching, tail-slapping, and loud vocalizations before all of the whales disappeared into the fog, keeping the final outcome of the melee a mystery," the PWWA said of Thursday's incident.
Bigg's orcas clash with humpback whale "Reaper." Photo: Mollie Naccarato, Sooke Coastal Explorations, PWWA
Researchers have identified the humpbacks involved as BCX1948 "Reaper" and BCY1000 "Hydra," while the orcas involved are believed to belong to pods more commonly found on the outer coast than in the strait, according to the association.
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it because it was absolutely unbelievable,” said Mollie Naccarato, captain and naturalist for Sooke Coastal Explorations, in the PWWA release.
“At first, the orcas seemed to be chasing the humpbacks, but then when it seemed there was space between them, the humpbacks would go back toward the orcas.”
The PWWA says its members hope to encounter Reaper and Hydra again before they begin their annual winter migration.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.