A baby killer whale became entangled in a plastic ribbon off the coast of Kamchatka

A baby killer whale was trapped off the coast of Kamchatka — a plastic tape was found on it. Pictures of the animal following its mother in the Avacha Bay of the Pacific Ocean appeared online on July 7 and caused concern among scientists, environmentalists and volunteers.

According to the FEROP Far Eastern Killer Whale Project in the Telegram channel, the cub became known after observations in the area of Cape Shipunsky. The researchers note that the birth of babies in this area is rare, and the survival rate among them is even lower. Despite the fact that the cub is still active and stays close to its mother, the situation raises serious concerns.

"This is a very durable, practically non-degradable tape. No amount of effort will be enough to break it. <...> Unfortunately, we have to say that this cub is doomed," Alexander Burdin, Doctor of Biological Sciences and a leading researcher at the Kamchatka branch of the Pacific Institute of Geography, told Izvestia.

According to him, similar packaging material has been repeatedly found on the coast of Kamchatka. Burdin stressed that as the animal matures, the tape will cut deeper into the body, causing pain and hindering development.

"It's almost impossible for a killer whale to take it off. The only way is to catch the animal and cut the ribbon. But you understand that in the wild it is [very difficult] to catch a killer whale that travels huge distances," he added.

Nevertheless, volunteers from the Friends of the Ocean organization are going to attempt to help the cub. According to Tatiana Ivkovich, a biologist and head of FEROP scientific expeditions, she has already contacted the volunteers and provided them with all the necessary information.

"We are currently in touch with Friends of the Ocean. I immediately sent them this information, and they have a suggestion on how to try to help the cub. We believe that trapping and removing him from his family is a big risk for him. We would not want adult animals to die in the process of saving the cub," Ivkovic said.

According to the biologist, the only sure way to help an animal is to try to free it from the noose in natural conditions, in the sea.

"The guys have some experience and tools for this. So far, I don't see any other ways out, except if they participate, and they plan to, and they can try to remove this noose," Ivkovich said.

However, Rosprirodnadzor believes that interference can only harm the animal. Sergey Kryuchkovsky, head of the Maritime Supervision Department for the Kamchatka Territory, expressed skepticism about such attempts.

"Judging by the photo, the ribbon is hanging loosely on it, or it's about to fly off, or it's just lying on it. And, again, what to do? The mother, most likely, will not let her approach the child. <...> Such operations, by and large, only make it worse for animals," he explained in an interview with Izvestia.

According to Kryuchkovsky, when carrying out the operation to remove the tape, it must be borne in mind that you will have to deal with an aggressive animal, a predator. In addition, even technically, the operation to free the killer whale from the trap is extremely difficult. According to him, there are no means in Russia to euthanize a marine mammal in the open sea.

"Even if we approach them, we won't be able to do anything, given that this is not a whale, huge and slow, but an aggressive mammal, a predator. I can hardly imagine that anyone will be able to do anything," concluded the representative of the department.

ABC TV channel reported on February 19 that more than 150 small killer whales washed ashore in the Australian state of Tasmania. According to preliminary estimates, they were stranded for 24 to 48 hours. At the moment, the cause of the animal release is unknown.