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The mother of a baby orca seemed to know that a group of people were trying to save her calf while she helped keep it afloat.
On Wednesday, a group of three recreational fishermen were in the water when they spotted a small group of orcas in distress.
The calf had become entangled in a craypot line and a buoy, about 30 km north of Napier.
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One of the crew members, who only wished to be known as Ben, was on his friend’s boat when they spotted the group around 5.45pm.
“There were like three or four holding the baby and as we got closer, they all moved away, except one, who we assumed was the mother.”
But the killer whales still lingered near the exhausted calf, circling close to the mother who did not leave her side.
“We could see that it was tangled in a craypot line, right around its tail.”
Zoey Yamog / Supplied
A group of sport fishermen came across a small group of endangered killer whales, about 30 kilometers north of Napier. (File photo)
Both mother and baby seemed quite calm as the crew members pulled the rope and began to cut it off its tail, while the mother nudged the infant reassuringly.
Ben said it’s the first time he’s seen a whale and that rescuing one was “pretty exciting.”
The unraveling lasted less than five minutes and approximately 20 minutes after the release, there were reports of a small group of killer whales traveling along the coast, heading towards Napier.
Once free, Ben said the killer whales “disappeared” underwater and were never seen again.
“A colleague of mine saw what seemed to be the group more towards Napier later on, so it’s good that they saw them again.”
Department of Conservation biodiversity ranger Mike Ogle said he was grateful to the fishing crew for releasing the orca.
“We would like to thank the people who untangled the orca calf. Whales and dolphins can be injured, exhausted and drowned in the nets and lines. “
Killer whales were critical nationally in New Zealand, and their population in our waters is believed to be declining, he said.
“Not every day someone saves an animal with the same threat range as kākāpō.”
Ogle said that if someone sees a larger dolphin or whale that appears to be in trouble, they should not approach them alone.
“Larger entangled whales can be dangerous (even fatal in some circumstances) and people should call 0800DOCHOT (0800362468) so we can mobilize our trained team with specialized equipment to safely perform the untangling.”
