Orca Thinks Boats Are Tub Toys

Tuesday, June 17, 2003
NEAR VANCOUVER ISLAND, B.C. - Some fishermen off Vancouver Island were hoping to get into some big fish, but not this big.

"Too friendly, I'm afraid he's gonna flip somebody over," said one.

That's exactly what local whale activists are worried about with the whale called Luna that strayed from its pod.

"Basically, any time you have a wild animal that's 13, 14, 15 feet and 13, 1400 pounds, a very big orca, it's a dangerous situation," says Michael Harris of the Orca Conservancy.

And if Harris and other whale researchers were concerned before, new pictures do nothing to ease their fears.

You can see the orca roll and rub up against the boat, pushing it about.

Underwater pictures show it rubbing on the bottom of the boat, easily capable of damaging, even sinking the boat, or getting hurting itself.

Bob McLaughlin shot the pictures with Canadian government officials and other whale experts on board. They worry the young whale sees boats as toys.

"The whale isn't malicious, but the whale is like a little kid that's throwing a tantrum if his toys are taken away," says whale activist Bob McLaughlin.

McLaughlin says it appears Luna is trying to block boats from leaving. Two boaters found that out during an encounter with the whale last week.

"Try to paddle and Luna was right there and spin my boat around, kick her tail and the boat would do like a 360," said Norman Sinclair.

Based on reports like that and the new pictures, most groups agree the whale has to leave the inland waters off Vancouver Island. They agree the best outcome would be to meet up with its former "L" pod cruises the open seas west of the island. But to do that they'll have to lure Luna close enough to hear the pod, miles from its current location.

But to stay here they say is an accident waiting to happen. He's a big whale getting bigger, more aggressive and quite capable of accidentally harming people.

Whale activists, Canadian and U.S. government leaders, and Native Canadian tribes all hope the whale reunites with its pod. They disagree on what should happen if that doesn't work. In the meantime, they beg boaters to stay away from Luna.