At least 10 orcas seen trapped by sea ice off the coast of northern Japan on Tuesday appear to have escaped, local officials in the nearest city said Wednesday.
Drone video released by local wildlife organization Wildlife Pro showed a pod of killer whales struggling to lift their heads above the frigid waters off Hokkaido, Japan.
The Coast Guard was unable to rescue the whales, which were stranded just over half a mile from the coast, on Tuesday because the surrounding ice was too thick, local officials told NHK. But by Wednesday morning, they could no longer be seen at the place.
Japan's Kyoto News Agency quoted an official in the town of Rausu as saying: “As the gap in the ice floes begins to widen, it is likely that they fled.” They said the animals could no longer be seen with binoculars from the beach.
Rausu is located on the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, which is designated a World Natural Heritage Site by the United Nations.
About 10 orcas died in 2005 after becoming stuck in ice floes in the same area, according to Kyoto.
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