Orcas Put On Feeding Show For
Delighted Onlookers

Thursday, October 9, 2008
POUAWA BEACH, NEW ZEALAND - Anywhere in the world, wildlife lovers can expect to pay hundreds of dollars for a whale-watching experience, but yesterday Gisborne people got it for free in their own backyard as a pod of orca frolicked about Pouawa Beach.

The pod of about 15 orca were first reported near Whangara at 11am yesterday morning, before they made their way down towards Pouawa.

Several carloads of passersby stopped with video cameras to capture the spectacle that was an orca feeding frenzy.

Department of Conservation spokesman Jamie Quirk said it was normal for orcas to frequent East Coast beaches at this time of the year, as mothers taught their young how to feed on stingray.

"If you sit and watch them, you will notice the pod break into groups. Two will act like sheep dogs, working a certain part of the coast and shepherd the stingray into an area of the reefs, at which point they will all join in on the feeding frenzy," he said.

"Gisborne people are very lucky to see a unique marine mammal come so close to shore. And New Zealand orcas are the only species of orca in the world that feed on stingray."

The remnants of these feeding frenzy's may be discovered washed up on the beaches; discarded stingray heads and barbs with their wings bitten off.

The adult orcas generally caught the stingray, held on to one side and let the young ones bite off the other side, Mr Quirk said.

Fully grown orcas can reach six metres in length. The males are easily identified by their large, triangular dorsal fin, while female orcas have a curved fin. Juvenile orcas can be spotted swimming about the fins of the adults.

While there had been no record of orcas attacking people or mistaking them for other sea creatures, Mr Quirk recommended that surfers or swimmers who found themselves in the company of orcas exercise a degree of caution.

"They live in the sea all their lives, so they are much more aware of humans being there than we are of them. But they are wild animals so we must treat them with respect."

Last month a Gisborne surfer got a shock when he found himself paddling alongside a pod of orcas, who rode the waves with him.

And this occasion may not be the last we see of them.

"They will move through pretty quickly. They set themselves up in residence in the area between northern Hawke's Bay, Mahia right through the East Cape, and they will move around the area feeding over the next month," Mr Quirk said.

He asked if anyone managed to capture decent video footage or photos of the orca pods, to pass them on to DoC.

Source: The Gisborne Herald