Published: Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Is whale facing orca attacks?
Tulalip residents report seeing two killer whales near Tulalip Bay ram a gray whale, thought to be the same one stranded earlier.
TULALIP — A gray whale that was found beached in Tulalip Bay recently now appears to be facing an even greater challenge.
Tulalip residents say they saw two killer whales ramming a gray whale offshore on Monday afternoon, north of Tulalip Bay past Hermosa Point. They believe the gray whale is the same one found in the bay on Saturday.
“They were attacking him and weakening him,” said Maureen McGannon, who lives on a bluff facing west, just north of Hermosa Point.
The gray whale moved farther north to a small bay to escape the orcas, McGannon said. The water is shallower there, she said.
Around 6 p.m. the whale appeared to be moving in circles in the bay, roughly 200 feet from shore, its spouts clearly visible. The orcas could not be seen.
The 40-foot gray whale stranded in Tulalip Bay on Saturday is believed to be the same one seen in Everett on Thursday and Friday. The whale is believed to be ill, and the outlook for its recovery is not good, said Brian Gorman, a spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said Saturday.
The whale is about 5 or 6 years old and was seen in the water near Mukilteo for about a month, Gorman said. It appears confused and doesn’t seem to know what to do when it gets into deep water, he said.
The whale on Saturday eventually floated out after the tide rose.
McGannon saw the whale swimming in the water below her bluff between 2:30 and 3 p.m. “and all of a sudden I saw the killer whales,” she said.
McGannon, who has lived at her home for three years, said she often sees gray whales but not this late in the year. It’s the first time she’s seen an orca while living there, she said.
McGannon and a friend drove north to watch the whale try to escape the orcas. They watched the drama unfold for about an hour-and-a-half. Orca fins could be seen in photos she took with her small digital camera.
“I couldn’t believe we were the only ones watching this,” she said.
Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.
Tulalip residents say they saw two killer whales ramming a gray whale offshore on Monday afternoon, north of Tulalip Bay past Hermosa Point. They believe the gray whale is the same one found in the bay on Saturday.
“They were attacking him and weakening him,” said Maureen McGannon, who lives on a bluff facing west, just north of Hermosa Point.
The gray whale moved farther north to a small bay to escape the orcas, McGannon said. The water is shallower there, she said.
Around 6 p.m. the whale appeared to be moving in circles in the bay, roughly 200 feet from shore, its spouts clearly visible. The orcas could not be seen.
The 40-foot gray whale stranded in Tulalip Bay on Saturday is believed to be the same one seen in Everett on Thursday and Friday. The whale is believed to be ill, and the outlook for its recovery is not good, said Brian Gorman, a spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said Saturday.
The whale is about 5 or 6 years old and was seen in the water near Mukilteo for about a month, Gorman said. It appears confused and doesn’t seem to know what to do when it gets into deep water, he said.
The whale on Saturday eventually floated out after the tide rose.
McGannon saw the whale swimming in the water below her bluff between 2:30 and 3 p.m. “and all of a sudden I saw the killer whales,” she said.
McGannon, who has lived at her home for three years, said she often sees gray whales but not this late in the year. It’s the first time she’s seen an orca while living there, she said.
McGannon and a friend drove north to watch the whale try to escape the orcas. They watched the drama unfold for about an hour-and-a-half. Orca fins could be seen in photos she took with her small digital camera.
“I couldn’t believe we were the only ones watching this,” she said.
Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.
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