Hunted by Orcas, Seal Hitches a Ride

A wildlife photographer out on a whale-watching trip in waters off Seattle captured dramatic video and photos of a pod of killer whales hunting a seal that survived only by clambering onto the stern of her boat. Charvet Drucker was on a rented 20-foot vessel 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, per the AP. The orcas' coordinated movements and tail slaps, which can be seen in footage shown by the Guardian, suggested they were hunting.

Drucker used the zoom lens on her camera to spot a harbor seal that was trying to flee from the pod, per the AP. One of her shots showed the seal flying through the air above the scrum of hovering orcas, and she assumed she was witnessing the seal's last moments alive. But as the orcas got closer to the boat, Drucker realized the pod was still chasing the seal. In line with wildlife boating regulations, the boat's engine was turned off to prevent any injury to the whales.

The seal slid out of the water and onto a swimming platform at the stern of the boat. Wildlife regulations also prohibited touching or interfering with the seal, but Drucker began filming video. "You poor thing," Drucker can be heard saying as the seal looks up at her. "You're good, just stay, buddy." The orcas didn't give up immediately but instead appeared to team up to rock the boat and make the seal fall off. Drucker's cellphone video shows the orcas lining up and moving in on the boat with staggered dives to create waves.

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This "wave washing" technique has been documented by scientists since at least the 1980s, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The seal on Drucker's boat slid off at least once but managed to climb back on, and the orcas swam away after about 15 minutes. Drucker has photographed dead seals in the mouths of orcas before, and she says she's generally happy when the whales get to eat. "I'm definitely Team Orca, all day, every day. But once that seal was on the boat, I kind of turned [into] Team Seal," she said on Thursday.