The race to save a pod of killer whales trapped in arctic ice [Updated]

If the whales' small hole freezes over, they will drown

The race to save a pod of killer whales trapped in ice
(Image credit: YouTube)

A pod of killer whales has been discovered trapped in arctic waters that are quickly freezing around them. (Watch a video above.) The dozen or so whales, which need to come up for air to survive, have seen their small hole in the Hudson Bay shrink since they were found earlier this week. If it closes, they will drown.

In the meantime, Inukjuak residents have taken to social media for help, spreading a video of the orcas that shows them repeatedly coming up for air. Activists are using hashtags #SaveQuebecWhales and #BigMiracle to help get traction on Twitter. "It is absolutely tragic to think about this, you know, if that does close up," says Deborah Giles, a graduate student researcher at the University of California.

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It's unclear how the whales came to the area, as they don't normally travel into icy waters. Some experts suspect warming oceans have encouraged the whales to swim further north than they usually would, leaving them trapped when those warm waters suddenly freeze.

Paul Wade, a research fisheries biologist at NOAA's National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle, says it's possible the whales could keep the hole open themselves simply by "continually coming up every minute or so." But villagers say the pod often disappears, probably in search of another opening that will lead them into the open water — which is 12 miles from the hole.

Update: Local villagers report the sea ice surrounding the whales has shifted, allowing the pod to escape into open water. Hooray!

Jessica Hullinger

Jessica Hullinger is a writer and former deputy editor of The Week Digital. Originally from the American Midwest, she completed a degree in journalism at Indiana University Bloomington before relocating to New York City, where she pursued a career in media. After joining The Week as an intern in 2010, she served as the title’s audience development manager, senior editor and deputy editor, as well as a regular guest on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. Her writing has featured in other publications including Popular Science, Fast Company, Fortune, and Self magazine, and she loves covering science and climate-related issues.