Orcas kill gray whale calf in rare Southern California attack

As people from shore and boats watched in horror and awe, a group of orcas on Wednesday attacked and ultimately drowned a gray whale calf off the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

It might have been the first time this dramatic predation event -- which is a seasonal phenomenon much farther north -- was documented as far south as Los Angeles.

It was the first time spotters for the ASC-LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project witnessed a gray whale kill in the 28-year history of the project. The project is run from the promontory at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center.

The kill was made after the orcas had violently separated the calf from its mother, making the spectacle that much harder to watch.

A lone commercial whale-watching vessel, the Christopher out of Long Beach, was on the scene moments after the kill, which occurred between 4 and 4:35 p.m.

"It was shocking to see but everyone on board seemed to accept it as a part of nature," Capt. Carl Mayhugh told outdoors blogger Philip Friedman.

Alisa Schulman-Janiger, director of the Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project, arrived on a private boat owned by Eric Martin moments after the kill.

In all, the researcher said, 12 transient orcas participated in the predation event.

Transient orcas, which feed primarily on marine mammals, are more commonly found off Monterey and points north. They're known to ambush gray whale cow-calf pairs as the leviathans are migrating from Baja California breeding and nursing grounds to Arctic home waters.

In a phone interview, Schulman-Janiger identified the orcas as belonging to family groups known as the CA 51s and CA 27s.

The CA 51s, which include a mom with four offspring, including a daughter with two offspring, have in recent years become fairly frequent visitors to Southern California waters.

They're also specialists in gray whale calf predation. "They are very efficient gray whale feeders," the researcher said. " A half-hour calf kill is very fast."

When her crew left the scene in the hope of reaching port before sunset, the orcas were still feeding on the calf, dragging it slowly as they swam.

Those who are saddened by this story should realize that not only is this part of nature's cycle, it comes amid a gray whale baby boom. Hundreds of mothers and calves have already bypassed some of the most treacherous points of ambush. 

-- Pete Thomas

-- Image showing orca nudging gray whale calf is courtesy of Eric Martin

Comments

[Stan Ecklund]

I think the key is your last line - it's part of the cycle of life and death in nature. Mother Nature isn't always politically correct, and sometimes, it's hard to watch. Every bit as educational as anything the whale watching fleet will see this year, though ...

[Dennis kaiser]

Wow I ran the loop trail at Trump golf course a little after 5 pm today and didn't notice anything out in the water. It would have been interesting to see this Pete. I guess when I run there I should pay attention to the nature surrounding me rather that just keeping my head down. Thanks for sharing this.