Have Japan’s trapped orcas ‘escaped’? Nation holds breath as case highlights changing nature of Hokkaido’s drift ice
- Footage on Tuesday showed the whales, including three calves, struggling to breathe in a contracting area of water near the coast of Rausu town
- The last time a pod of whales got trapped in the ice off Hokkaido was in 2005 and ended with all nine dying
All Nippon News on Tuesday aired footage showing the whales, including three calves, struggling to breathe in a contracting area of water near the coast of Rausu town in Hokkaido prefecture. The video suggested the pod could have as many as 17 orcas, according to local environmental group Wildlife Pro, which shot the footage.
The town of some 6,000 people could not carry out a rescue operation as its vessels were unable to get to the animals, local authorities said, after the space between the drift ice may have been frozen and blocked by low temperatures.
“As the gap in the drift ice started to open, it’s likely they escaped,” said a Rausu official after the animals could not be spotted through binoculars on Wednesday morning.
As Japanese await further confirmation that the orcas and their young are in the clear, experts say the incident has highlighted the changing nature of drift ice in the country’s north.
The last time a pod of whales got trapped in the ice off Hokkaido was in 2005 and ended with all nine dying.
