Humpback Whale Calf being isolated and killed by ORCAS before its mother returns to its side in Pacific
This is the heart-breaking moment the grieving mother of a young whale killed by orcas returns to her offspring's corpse in a desperate bid to save it.
Photographer Craig McInally, 40, caught the moment two orcas tore the young humpback whale to pieces when he was diving off the Revillagigedo Islands in the Pacific.
In the remarkable photos, the orcas can be seen isolating the calf from its mother and killing it before its mother returns to its side having watched it being killed.
Mr McInally said: 'In fifteen years of expeditions to the remote Revillagigedo Islands, the crew of the boat I was on had never seen orcas there, much less witness the orcas' exhibit predatory behavior.
'The attack was chaotic and horrible to watch.'
Mr McInally, a qualified technical diver from San Diego, California, had been diving with the humpback school the day before the attack.
In the photos, the humpback calf can be seen swimming closely with its mother before the larger killer wales separate the pair before slowly drowning and killing the baby.
Craig added: 'The first day we were diving with the humpbacks the mother was patient and comfortable with us.
'She allowed us to get extremely close and the baby seemed inquisitive, passing close to us whenever coming up to breathe every three minutes or so.
'The next day another diver noticed an odd fin breaking the surface. I looked over and was shocked to see the unmistakable fin of a male orca.
'We grabbed our cameras and dive gear and after a moment we realized the orcas were here for the baby.
'The battle was hard to follow. The baby was trying to escape and get back to its mum, but the orcas coordinated the attack to keep the baby separate.
'The next tactic was to injure the baby, perhaps to slow it down. Finally, the orcas succeeded in drowning the baby and then fed on the blubber.
'It was not until back onboard that I had the time to process the immensity of the event and reflect on the raw power of nature. It changed me forever.'
Photographer Craig McInally, 40, caught the moment two orcas tore the young humpback whale to pieces when he was diving off the Revillagigedo Islands in the Pacific.
In the remarkable photos, the orcas can be seen isolating the calf from its mother and killing it before its mother returns to its side having watched it being killed.
Mr McInally said: 'In fifteen years of expeditions to the remote Revillagigedo Islands, the crew of the boat I was on had never seen orcas there, much less witness the orcas' exhibit predatory behavior.
'The attack was chaotic and horrible to watch.'
Mr McInally, a qualified technical diver from San Diego, California, had been diving with the humpback school the day before the attack.
In the photos, the humpback calf can be seen swimming closely with its mother before the larger killer wales separate the pair before slowly drowning and killing the baby.
Craig added: 'The first day we were diving with the humpbacks the mother was patient and comfortable with us.
'She allowed us to get extremely close and the baby seemed inquisitive, passing close to us whenever coming up to breathe every three minutes or so.
'The next day another diver noticed an odd fin breaking the surface. I looked over and was shocked to see the unmistakable fin of a male orca.
'We grabbed our cameras and dive gear and after a moment we realized the orcas were here for the baby.
'The battle was hard to follow. The baby was trying to escape and get back to its mum, but the orcas coordinated the attack to keep the baby separate.
'The next tactic was to injure the baby, perhaps to slow it down. Finally, the orcas succeeded in drowning the baby and then fed on the blubber.
'It was not until back onboard that I had the time to process the immensity of the event and reflect on the raw power of nature. It changed me forever.'
Music : With the Sea by Kevin MacLeod
Source : DailyMail, Craig McInally
Comments
Post a Comment