Orca pod’s ‘beautifully brutal’ hunting of gray whale caught on video off Oregon coast
When nature photographer Jaklyn Larsen caught wind of a possible orca whale predation event off the Oregon coast, she packed her gear and hopped in the car.
Larsen told McClatchy News she headed to the lookout at Devils Punchbowl in hopes of catching a glimpse.
As she peered from the lookout on Monday, May 8, she said she saw “quite a bit of action and splashing.”
It was clear, she said, there were more than the five orcas she expected to see.
Instead, there were about nine orcas circling and swarming a gray whale and her calf, according to Larsen.
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“It was incredible,” Larsen said. “I could see them breaching out of the water and working together.”
Larsen said she decided to send out her drone to capture some footage, as the wind was somewhat calm.
As she approached overhead with her drone, staring at her remote monitor, she said she “could tell the calf was no longer alive.”
“That was really painful to see,” Larsen said. “ It’s the circle of life, but still, we feel for these creatures.”
Though the calf was no longer living, the mother whale stayed by its side, protecting it from the orcas’ attack, which Larsen described as “frenzied but also orchestrated.”
Larsen said the mother whale continued to push the calf’s body away from the relentless orcas.
“It felt like I was living in a National Geographic moment. We watch these events on TV, and we’re so disconnected,” Larsen said. “And then to be there standing beside the ocean and seeing it with my eyes and seeing it through the lens of my camera, it was just beautifully brutal.”
She said she continued to watch the scene until it grew too dark.
By that time, she said, it seemed the mother whale had finally left her calf’s side and headed north.
“It was excruciating to see,” Larsen said. “But at the same time, there’s the conflicting emotions of excitement, because it’s just a rare event to see.”
Larsen said while she felt emotionally torn over seeing the attack unfold, she reminded herself that the orcas were doing what they needed to survive.
After posting some photos and videos of the event on her Facebook page and TikTok, Larsen said some questioned why she would share scenes from such a “cruel” attack.
While Larsen said she understands the footage may be too much for some, she hopes the footage speaks to some.
“I would like people to just really get to understand that we’re really interconnected with so many species,” Larsen said. “These animals are working to survive like we do with our own families, and we’re just far more interconnected in the world than we realize.”
Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area is about 100 miles northwest of Eugene.
This story was originally published May 12, 2023 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Orca pod’s ‘beautifully brutal’ hunting of gray whale caught on video off Oregon coast."
