SEATTLE — A wildlife photographer on a whale-watching trip in the waters off Seattle captured dramatic video and photos of a pod of killer whales hunting a seal that only survived by climbing onto the stern of his boat.
Charvet Drucker was on a rented 20-foot (6-meter) boat near her home on an island in the Salish Sea, about 40 miles northwest of Seattle, when she spotted a pod of at least eight killer whales, also known as killer whales.
The coordinated movements of the killer whales and the thrashing of their tails suggested that they were hunting. Drucker used her camera's zoom lens to spot a seal trying to escape from the capsule. One of her pictures showed a seal flying through the air above a pile of killer whales churning up the water, and she assumed she was witnessing the seal's final moments.
But as the orcas approached the boat, Drucker and her team realized the pod was still chasing the seal. In accordance with wildlife boating regulations, they turned off the engine to prevent injury to the whales. The seal climbed out of the water onto a swimming platform at the stern of the boat next to the motor, calling it a kind of life raft.
Wildlife regulations also prohibit touching or interfering with the seal, but Drucker began filming videos.
“Poor thing,” Drucker can be heard saying as the seal looks at her. – You're doing great, just stay, buddy.
The orcas didn't give up right away, but instead appeared to band together to rock the boat and cause the seal to fall. Video taken on Drucker's cellphone shows the orcas lining up and approaching the boat, diving in a checkerboard pattern to create waves. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the wave washing technique has been documented by scientists since at least the 1980s.
The seal on Drucker's boat slipped at least once, but managed to climb back on, and the orcas swam away about 15 minutes later.
Drucker has photographed dead seals in the mouths of killer whales before and says she's generally happy when the whales get a chance to eat.
“I'm definitely Team Orca, all day, every day. But once that seal was on the boat, I kind of became Team Seal,” she said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday.
The killer whales that hunt seals and a variety of marine animals in the area are known as Bigg's killer whales or “transitional” killer whales. They are better fed than other more specialized species, such as the salmon-focused “resident” killer whales, which are on the endangered species list, according to NOAA.
