3rd killer whale found dead in Alaskan river.

[powderman]

   National NEWS   

• • Third killer whale found dead in Alaska river

   Associated Press Posted on October 16, 2011 at 8:02 PM
Updated today at 9:04 PM        ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A third killer whale that swam up Alaska's Nushagak River has been found dead.
A spokeswoman for NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service says the carcass of the third whale, a juvenile, was spotted Friday near Grass Island, across the river from Dillingham in an area influenced by tides.
Julie Speegle says in a statement that biologists believe the juvenile likely swam there rather than its body being moved by the tide.
The juvenile and two female orcas, including one pregnant whale, were spotted in fresh water more than three weeks ago. Necropsies last week on the other two whales provided no obvious reasons for why they died.
Speegle says nothing has been decided regarding a necropsy or tissue samples from the juvenile carcass.

[Brett]

That's a bummer.  Had several Pilot whales beach themselves on Cape Cod last summer.  I don't think anyone knows for sure why they do that some times.

[Sourdough]

I started to post on this back when they were first spotted going up the river.  Got busy and just did not get around to posting it.  Then for a couple of days it was reported they were just hanging out on the river.  Then they were reported going downstream and leaving.  Then the reports said they were gone.  Then the bodies of two were found.  Then a few days later the body of the third on was found.

The biologist I talked to feel the Orcas went up the river chasing Baluga Whales and Salmon.  The Balugas were chasing the salmon, that's what they eat.  Once up the river the Balugas, being familure with the area was able to sneak by the Orcas and go back downstream and out into Bristol Bay.  The Orcas were busy chasing and eating Salmon.  Then got disorentated and was not able to find their way back out of the river.  Oh well, life goes on.  Part of Mother Natures big plan.  You know the old saying, "Stupid Ones Should Not Breed"!  Well, Mother Nature has a way of seeing they don't.

First it was save the Whales.  Now it's save the Otters.  Orcas eat Otters, but some people can not understand that.  Orcas are meat eaters, they eat Fish, Otters, Seals, Sea Lions, other Whales, and anything else they find swimming in their ocean.

[myronman3]

i shake my head when i see stuff like this.... it is the wild, and that is life.   things live and things die.   

[magooch]

Hey, if those orcas are hungry, send them down here to the Columbia River; we've got more seals and sea lions than we need (who needs them at all) and they're nice and fat from eating all of our salmon.
 
An interesting tidbit about our seal and sea lion problem is that now the state officials agree that the only way to handle it is to start killing them off.  The fishermen knew this a long time ago.  We still have PETA and the like who think seals and sea lions should be protected, but they don't have a clue.

[Conan The Librarian]

Assuming the carcasses are left in place, there's gonna be a bunch of happy bears around there!
 
I wonder if they react like my beagle did when he was about a year old and I put a deer rib cage in his kennel while he wasn't looking. I sent one kid out with the rib cage, and the other kid to bring the dog in the house for a while.  When we took the dog back outside, he saw immediately that there was this big rib cage there. He looked around like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Then he looked around to see if there was anybody around. Then he went up and sniffed it, but backed away. He did that several times. At last, he finally got up enough nerve to take a bite. We've got pictures of the whole sequence and it's a hoot! Three days later the rib cage was gone, completely consumed by a 40 pound dog.
 
I can see those big sag-bellied bears partying now!
 

[Sourdough]

The Elders say,  In the beginning of time, Orca said to Man, "I will not hunt Man, if Man does not hunt Orca".  Man agreed, "This is good".   So since the beginning of time Orca has not hunted man.  Man has respected Orca, and the Whalers do not hunt or eat Orca.  Remember young Whalers, this agreement should never be broken.
 
There has never been a report of Orca attacking man.  Orcas have been seen killing swimming Moose and Caribou, as they swim between islands.  Then eating their meat.  But never man, in his flimsey kayak or canoe.

[magooch]

Rog, I hope your right, because I am one of those guys in a kayak.

[Conan The Librarian]

It would be interesting to know what the facts and the lore of killer whale attacks on humans is. I can understand why there aren't many attacks on swimmers because the water those whales live in is too cold for swimming. Kayakers are another matter. Killer whales are such excellent and intelligent hunters there is no reason why they wouldn't see a man in a kayak as food. Is the lore of northern peoples like Inuit loaded with tales of killer whales ignoring people?
 
There are quite a few dolphin attacks on people, but few if any are fatal. Usually just some scratches and bumps. These are mostly in places where dolphins and people share the water.
 
I just wonder if the killer whales are enjoying a peaceful reputation because there are so few people available as potential victims. Kinda like why we don't have many shark attacks here in the midwest.

[myronman3]

well i know one killer whale has killed at least a few people....but that isnt in the wild and i am not a fan of keeping wild animals in captivity....it just seems wrong on every level.  (not saying the people killed had it coming...but they sure knew the circumstances they were dealing with and if they didnt know, they should have)