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Charvet Drucker shared a seal’s escape from killer whales in a series of videos on Instagram
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The wildlife photographer was on a whale-watching trip off Camano Island in Washington when she spotted the animals
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“The orcas, after 15-20 minutes, decided the seal wasn’t worth the trouble,” Drucker captioned one of her videos
A wildlife photographer was in the perfect spot to capture footage of a seal’s escape from killer whales.
Charvet Drucker was whale-watching off Camano Island in Washington when the sea creature leaped onto her boat in an attempt to get away from orcas earlier this month, according to the BBC and U.K. newspaper The Guardian.
She shared several videos on Instagram documenting how the harbor seal’s getaway from the whales unfolded. In part one, the orcas can be seen swimming near the boat as the seal briefly emerges from the water before swimming back down.
Soon after, the seal leaps onto the side of the boat.
“He is on board,” Ducker can be heard saying. “You’re good, just stay, buddy.”
The seal fell off the boat, but quickly got on board again.
Drucker told the BBC that she knew the seal was prey for the orcas as they displayed hunting signs such as “tail lobs and porpoising.”
Other signs included coordinated movements, according to The Guardian.
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While the seal was on the boat, the orcas continued to swim in the vessel’s orbit.
In a third video of the escape, three whales can be spotted swimming very close to the boat.
A fourth clip shows the orcas finally leaving their target.
“Here is part 4! The orcas, after 15-20 minutes, decided the seal wasn’t worth the trouble and leave to meet up with the other pod members,” Drucker captioned the post. “The seal figured out the back seat pushed down and made his way further on the boat. #orcawhale #killerwhaleencounters #biggskillerwhales #orca #orcas #killerwhale #Biggs.”
A final video captured the seal seemingly relaxed as the boat sped through the water before eventually leaping back into the sea.
“Here is the final part! The seal made it and we were able to safely bring it closer to shore. Once it felt comfortable, it left in its own accord! #orcas #killerwhaleencounters #biggskillerwhales #orca #Biggs #killerwhale #orcawhale,” Drucker captioned the post.
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