Pod of killer whales charge two swimmers in a terrifying display of nature
Swimming is fun and all, until a pod of killer whales decide they'd like to play along.
Photographer Robin Léveillé captured an incredible moment at Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver, Canada earlier this week. In the clip, a pod of orcas can be seen charging a bluff with some seriously impressive speed.
There just so happened to be two people swimming in the waters near the base of the bluff. Noticing a pod of massive orcas charging towards them, the swimmers wisely exited the water for the safety of land.
While the name killer whale may sound pretty scary, it can be misleading. Firstly, killer whales are not whales at all, but are actually a type of dolphin. And though they have been dubbed killers for their hunting abilities, they rarely attack humans.
While the charging whales seem pretty scary, it's unlikely the pod was attempting to attack these two swimmers. Orcas are intensely curious animals, so it's probably they were just heading over to say "hi," just in a really aggressive manner.
Whale researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger, who works at the California Killer Whale Project, confirmed to BuzzFeed that the orcas were probably not in hunting mode.
“I think it was pure curiosity,” she told BuzzFeed News. “I just think they were super curious and taking a close look and then on their way.”
Regardless, Schulman-Janiger insisted that humans should never approach orcas and should be respectful of their natural environment.
Topics Animals Viral Videos Nature
