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orca Lolita/Tokitae,

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We are watching and visiting the whales in their home~

Please observe, love and respect them from a distance.

Monday, February 10, nine orcas stranded and died on a remote beach on the south end of New Zealand. Dr. Ingrid Visser arrived on scene shortly after the discovery, and late Sunday sent this report:  

"Orca Research Trust, Iwi (local Maori tribes) and Department of Conservation were involved in the process of assessing the stranding and we collaborated in the removal of samples.

"We do not know the cause of the stranding.  There was no immediate indication that seismic testing was involved - there was no bleeding from the eyes, ears or anus - but we have recovered the heads so will endeavour to do more testing at a later stage. 

"I have to leave the country again today - but the samples are being stored and we will consult and look at what we can investigate when I return after WhaleFest etc.  We got skin, blubber and muscle from each animal, so will be able to look at relatedness, pod structure, population source, toxicology, stable isotopes and perhaps some other tests. 

"The orca were not individuals that I recognized - they are not in the catalogue that I can tell from the field.  They had multiple cookie cutter shark bites (all healed) and as cookie cutter sharks are not found as far south as where these orca stranded (but are found around New Zealand) these orca have at sometime traveled outside the area where they stranded.  All this info indicates that they are not likely to be coastal New Zealand orca.  So, the fact of where they come from remains a mystery at this stage, but it certainly is an intriguing part of the stranding event.

"Due to the remote location this was an extremely expensive event and the Orca Research Trust has had to cover the costs to get the samples out, so thanks so much for your donations -they are really helpful.  We had to get the samples out by helicopter and in a couple of instances managed to take out the whole skeleton - see attached.  This is unprecedented in New Zealand (and only in one event that I know of, where all the heads of the pod of orca recovered - that being in Japan!).  We were working long hours (5 am till midnight) each day - in order to get this much done, so you know that your support was put to good use!"

Best wishes

ingrid