A pod of a dozen killer whales were spotted trapped in ice in northern Japan. Drone footage captured the struggling orcas trying to break free of the large ice chunks off the coast of Rausu.
A pod of orcas was found trapped in ice floes Tuesday morning. At around 7:00 AM, a sightseeing boat company in Rausu Town, Hokkaido, contacted the local government office saying,
Around ten orcas are reportedly trapped by ice off the coast of Japan. A video shows the orcas cavorting in a gap in the ice. "We have no choice but to wait for the ice to break so they can escape," an official said. In 2005, several mammals died after becoming entangled in sea ice off Rausu, the city where the whales are trapped. The ice floes may have been more extensive than expected, which could have made it difficult for the animals to surface.