A pod of orcas off the coast of Japan may have escaped from captivity in the ice.

Japanese official Rausu announced the possible rescue of killer whales from captivity in the ice

A group of killer whales trapped in ice off the coast of Japan may have successfully escaped. This opinion was expressed by a representative of the municipality of the city of Rausu on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaido in a conversation with reporters. Marine mammals in distress have previously been observed in this area.

“We just inspected that area,” the official said. “There were no killer whales there, and the drifting ice had weakened significantly and separated. Although I don’t want to make hasty conclusions, the likelihood that the killer whales managed to get out safely is high. There is, of course, a risk that they could fall into a new trap in another place, but in our area, apparently, they managed to escape.”

A pod of about 10 orcas with calves was spotted off the coast of the town of Rausu, about a kilometer offshore. They found themselves surrounded by dense drifting ice in a small open area. Due to difficult conditions, it was impossible to send a ship to help the killer whales.

Japanese experts note that killer whales have very strong family ties, and they do not leave their calves even in dangerous situations. In a previous case, similar animals died in an ice trap off the coast of Rausu in February 2005, when the sea surface froze completely.

Killer whales are cetaceans from the dolphin family and most often live off the Kuril and Commander Islands off the coast of Russia. The city of Rausu is located almost opposite the South Kuril island of Kunashir.