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12 Orca's Trapped in Ice
Shane
Posts: 15,229 balls deep
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/50613/orcas+trapped+in+ice+fighting+to+survive+in+northern+quebec/
A large pod of orcas trapped in the ice and struggling to stay alive in Hudson Bay in northern Quebec has captured the attention of marine mammal groups and fisheries officials, and a rescue attempt might be in the works. At least 12 orcas, or killer whales, have been watched by villagers from nearby Inukjuak since late Monday.
Video posted to Facebook on Tuesday by Clement Rousseau brought the situation to light. (The video posted below features better footage, but an odd choice of music.)
The mammals have only a small patch of open water in which to breathe. The patch is slowly shrinking and there's concern that all of the orcas will die soon if they don't achieve a path to open water.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which has been inundated with pleas for help on behalf of the orcas, has scheduled a fly-over on Thursday. And there are unconfirmed reports that a U.S. Coast Guard ice-breaker is en route to the area.
It's not clear whether the orcas can last through another night.
"If you watch the video you can see the larger orcas are spy-hopping aggressively to keep the hole open while the smaller ones are just surfacing to breathe," said Alisa Schulman-Janiger, a killer whale researcher.
Telephone calls to the DFO's media relations office on Wednesday were not returned.
DFO spokeswoman Nathalie Letender told the Digital Journal that "a team of experts from DFO is working very closely with its partners in [the area] to evaluate the situation. Situations where marine mammals are trapped by the ice are not unusual in the North."
Peter Inukpuk, mayor of Inukjuak, told the CBC that the water in the area froze later than usual this year, which could help explain the presence of orcas just before the freeze.
There are young orcas with the pod of mostly females. There have been vague reports of a polar bear being killed, either by the orcas or villagers, after wandering too close to the breathing hole.
A large pod of orcas trapped in the ice and struggling to stay alive in Hudson Bay in northern Quebec has captured the attention of marine mammal groups and fisheries officials, and a rescue attempt might be in the works. At least 12 orcas, or killer whales, have been watched by villagers from nearby Inukjuak since late Monday.
Video posted to Facebook on Tuesday by Clement Rousseau brought the situation to light. (The video posted below features better footage, but an odd choice of music.)
The mammals have only a small patch of open water in which to breathe. The patch is slowly shrinking and there's concern that all of the orcas will die soon if they don't achieve a path to open water.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which has been inundated with pleas for help on behalf of the orcas, has scheduled a fly-over on Thursday. And there are unconfirmed reports that a U.S. Coast Guard ice-breaker is en route to the area.
It's not clear whether the orcas can last through another night.
"If you watch the video you can see the larger orcas are spy-hopping aggressively to keep the hole open while the smaller ones are just surfacing to breathe," said Alisa Schulman-Janiger, a killer whale researcher.
Telephone calls to the DFO's media relations office on Wednesday were not returned.
DFO spokeswoman Nathalie Letender told the Digital Journal that "a team of experts from DFO is working very closely with its partners in [the area] to evaluate the situation. Situations where marine mammals are trapped by the ice are not unusual in the North."
Peter Inukpuk, mayor of Inukjuak, told the CBC that the water in the area froze later than usual this year, which could help explain the presence of orcas just before the freeze.
There are young orcas with the pod of mostly females. There have been vague reports of a polar bear being killed, either by the orcas or villagers, after wandering too close to the breathing hole.
Comments
Illuminati
i really hope that icebreaker report is true
Locals were preparing a rescue by cutting holes in the Ice with chainsaws at intervals to the open bay.
FREE THE ORCAS WITH CHAINSAWS!