Watch an Orca Pod Free a Humpback Whale From a Coil of Rope, Possibly Saving Its Life

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In a strange encounter off the coast of western Australia, a pod of orcas seems to free a humpback whale from a rope entangling its tail. But were they really trying to rescue it?

, humpbacks are normally seen off the Australian coast between June and August, during their northward migration to their breeding grounds in subtropical waters, and between September and November, when they head back south to Antarctica.Observers on the whale-watching boat soon realized that the whale was in bad shape. It was scrawny and covered with sea lice, parasites that feed on the blood and skin of fish and whales.A snarl of rope was tangled around the whale's tail.

Next, according to Whale Watch Western Australia, the matriarch of the orca pod, nicknamed Queen, approached in a great flurry of splashing and white water. ."[D]id the Orca deliberately rescue this Humpback or was the decision made that due to his ill health the effort of the hunt was not worth the energy reward at the end[?]"Hoyt said that question isn't easy to answer."Certainly whales are familiar with fishing gear," he told Live Science. And it's possible that the orcas grabbed the line, either intentionally or accidentally. But it's impossible to say whether they intended to untangle the whale, he said.

 

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