A group of good Samaritans were in the right place at the right time in Alaska when they saw a juvenile orca stranded on a rocky beach.
The 20-foot-long killer whale was stuck in a crevice of rocks near Prince of Wales Island. Aroon Duncanson was on a trip with her two friends when they saw the whale. In an Instagram post sharing what happened, Duncanson said they were authorized by the wildlife agency known as NOAA to use a seawater pump to keep the whale wet. They were then asked to stay next to the whale and keep birds or animals away until Alaska Wildlife Troopers and a NOAA officer were able to get to the scene.
Once the troopers and NOAA officers arrived on scene, Duncanson and her friends left. But she shared on her Instagram video that they were told the orca was able to make it back into the water once the tide came in after nearly 6 hours of being stranded. The NOAA even went out to sea with her until she dove down to rejoin her pod.
The orca was later identified as a 13-year-old juvenile Bigg’s killer whale, by Canadian conservationist group Bay Cetology.
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