By Canadian Press

Mother orca and children make ‘grocery shopping’ trip near downtown Vancouver

Nov 25, 2024 | 12:19 PM

VANCOUVER — A family of killer whales has made a rare trip into waters off downtown Vancouver for what an expert says was likely a “grocery shopping” hunt for harbour seals.

Video shared on social media by False Creek Ferries shows the whales cruising past highrise towers at the entrance to False Creek on Sunday.

Andrew Trites, director of the University of British Columbia’s marine mammal research unit, has identified the whales as a family group of transient orcas consisting of a mother and her three offspring.

He says it’s the first time the 26-year-old mother, known as T35A, has shown up in downtown Vancouver with her children aged six, 11 and 14.

Trites says the well documented family has previously been seen by marine researchers from Alaska to the Strait of Juan de Fuca south of Vancouver Island.

B.C. opens disaster aid to atmospheric river flood victims

18m ago

serious injuries

IIO to investigate after woman injured while taken into police custody in Chilliwack

24m ago

Holiday food drive

Amid rising demand, Abbotsford's Archway Food Bank faces $1.2 million shortfall

1h ago

He attributes the pod’s surprising downtown appearance to seals also changing their habits as they hide from orcas, forcing killer whales to hunt in backwater areas like False Creek.

Trites says the video shows the whales moving quietly like “ghosts” to avoid alerting their prey.

Killer whales have previously been spotted in False Creek, including in 2019, and in 2010 a grey whale swam all the way to the end of the inlet, near Science World.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2024.

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press