Seal escapes orca hunt by jumping onto photographer’s boat
SEATTLE (AP) — A wildlife photographer on a whale-watching trip in the waters off Seattle captured dramatic video and photos of a pod of killer whales preying on a surviving seal by simply climbing over the stern of his boat.
Charvet Drucker was on a 20-foot charter boat near his home on an island in the Salish Sea about 40 miles northwest of Seattle when he spotted a pod of at least eight killer whales, also known as orcas.
The orcas’ coordinated movements and tail slaps indicated they were hunting. Drucker used his camera’s zoom lens to spot a harbor seal trying to escape the enclosure. One of his shots showed the seal flying through the air above a pod of orcas foaming the water, suggesting he witnessed the seal’s final moments live.
But as the orcas approached the boat, Drucker and his group realized that the pod was still chasing the seal. They had shut down the engine in accordance with wildlife boat regulations to prevent injury to the whales. The seal emerged from the water and climbed onto the swim platform at the stern of the boat, next to the engine, claiming it was a life raft of some sort.
Wildlife regulations also prohibit touching or tampering with the seal, but Drucker began making videos.
“You poor thing,” Drucker can be heard saying as the Seal looks at him. “You’re okay, stay buddy.”
The orcas did not give up immediately, but instead came together to rock the boat and cause the seal to fall. Drucker’s cellphone video shows the orcas lining up and advancing toward the boat in gradual dives to create waves. The “wave washing” technique has been documented by scientists since at least the 1980s, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The seal on Drucker’s boat slipped at least once, but he managed to climb back up and the orcas swam away about 15 minutes later.
Drucker has photographed dead seals in orcas’ mouths before, and says he’s generally happy when whales eat.
“I’m definitely Team Orca all day, every day. But once that seal got on the boat, I kind of turned into Team Seal,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday.
Killer whales that prey on seals and various marine animals in the region are known as Biggs or “transient” orcas. They eat better than other, more specialized species, such as salmon-focused “resident” orcas, which are on the endangered species list, according to NOAA.
