On the morning of the 6th, approximately 10 killer whales were found trapped in drift ice off the coast of Rausu, Hokkaido. Since it is covered in drift ice and cannot be approached, the town says it has no choice but to wait for the ice to break and escape.
According to the Rausu Coast Guard Station, at around 8:30 a.m. on the 6th, a local fisherman contacted them to report that a killer whale was stuck in drift ice off the coast of Rausu town.
In footage taken by a local on the coast of Rausu town just after 10 a.m., the killer whale was seen struggling through ice floes about 1 kilometer off the coast.
In addition, footage taken by a private company conducting research on sea lions and other sea lions offshore shows approximately 10 killer whales unable to move, surrounded by drift ice while the entire ocean was completely covered in drift ice. confirmed.
According to the Kushiro Regional Meteorological Observatory, an icing advisory had been issued for the Nemuro region, including the town of Rausu, until the morning of the 6th, and it is possible that the area of drift ice may have expanded due to sea spray.
According to Rausu Town, in 2005, killer whales were trapped in drift ice off the coast of the town, and most of the killer whales died at that time.
Currently, the offshore area is covered with drift ice, so it is impossible to go nearby and carry out rescue operations, so the town says, ``We have no choice but to wait for the drift ice to break and for them to escape.''
Photographer: “Baby killer whales too”
Seiichiro Tsuchiya of Wildlife Pro LLC, who witnessed orcas surrounded by drift ice off the coast of Rausu Town and photographed them with a drone, said, ``Around 10 a.m., about 13 orcas were spotted in a hole about 1km offshore about 10m square. "I found an orca with its head sticking out and breathing desperately. There also appeared to be about 3 or 4 baby orcas inside. They didn't seem to be doing well." .