2009/06/11
THE annual sardine run has brought some unexpected visitors to East London’s shore – a group of orca whales, or killer whales as they are commonly known.
A group of international filmmakers, who have been out on the water filming the shoals of sardines as they migrate past East London, first spotted the whales three days ago.
Film expedition leader from Blue Wilderness Steve Benjamin said they spotted about six of the whales at least two kilometres off shore near Nahoon.
“It was a great spectacle to see them jumping in and out of the water,” said Benjamin, adding that the whales were tossing around the carcass of a dolphin.
“They looked so joyful.”
Chief of marine services in the Buffalo City Municipality Siani Tinley said the whales could still be spotted frolicking off the East London coast over the next couple of weeks.
She said the unusual activity of whales so close to the shore was associated with the sardine run.
“This is not to say that we may not see them any other time through the year, but seldom this close,” said Tinley.
She added that the “well- developed predators” hunted seabirds, seals, dolphins and other fish.
Principal scientist at the East London Museum Kevin Cole said the whales’ scientific name was Orcinus orca and they lived to an age of 60 to 90 years.
They can weigh between 3000kg to 6000kg and grow to a length of up to 9.8m .
“These mammals may be attracted closer in-shore and observed due to the availability of food in the form of the sardine run,” Cole said.
They were very sociable animals, Cole added, and travelled in tight unison as a pod of between two and 50 individuals in coastal waters.
“They don’t normally occur on our coast – they prefer cold- temperature coastal areas,” Cole said.
The filmmakers are expecting the shoal of sardines to pass East London next week. - By XOLISA MGWATYU
Lifestyle Reporter
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