Orcas trapped in drifting ice off Japan's coast were able to free themselves. Around a dozen orcas had been trapped by drift ice off the coast of Japan.
A rescue operation was not possible. In 2005, several mammals died after becoming entangled in sea ice off Rausu, Japan. In winter, parts of the sea off Japan are regularly covered with drift ice. and a group of animal rights activists contacted the Defense Department. to mobilize an icebreaker to free the whales.