In July 2015, an orca ran aground on rocks on the north coast of British Columbia while hunting seals in a group. Positioned without moving near the rocks, she let herself be surprised by the tide and found herself trapped, without water, without being able to move
From a nearby boat, a man watches the whole scene and rushes to the orca to try to save it. Unfortunately by the time the men arrive, the tide has already started to go out and the young animal will be stuck on the beach for at least 8 hours. The other orcas in his group watched helplessly, hearing the animal's heart-rending screams
At the same time, the men were able to contact researchers at the Cetacean Lab. They went there with volunteers, used wet sheets and blankets to keep the animal cool, and a water pump to help it survive.
"She wouldn't stop crying, it would tear our hearts out. But the tide was starting to rise, so we had good hope" said Hermann Meuter, co-founder of Cetacean Lab.
Even though the animal was agitated at first, she understood that the men were there to help her. " At first, his breathing was very fast. But after 15 or 20 minutes, she started to calm down. I think she realized then that we were there to help her." added the researcher.
After 8 hours, the tide began to rise and the killer whale was able to free itself from the rocks and reach its family safely "It took him about 45 minutes to clear, once the water came back, we distanced ourselves at that point." adds the researcher.
