A killer whale was captured on video grabbing an unoccupied sailboat by its anchor chain and taking it on a joyride in the waters near Vancouver Island, Canada, on Sunday.
The cell phone footage shot by bystander Ara Stevenson in Comox Harbor, British Columbia, shows the 27-year-old male transient orca, identified by marine mammal experts as TO73B, grabbing Dan and Kendra Campbell’s vessel, R-Therapy, and dragging it across the water by its line.
After being towed to and fro by the mischievous orca for a about a minute, the unmoored sailboat ended up sideswiping a larger vessel bobbing in the harbor.
Having a whale of a time: A 27-year-old male orca on Sunday took a couple’s sailboat, R-Therapy , for a joyride in Comox Harbor, British Columbia (pictured)
Troublemaker: The cheeky killer whale grabbed the unoccupied boat’s anchor chain and proceeded to tow it around
Seemingly pleased with its stunt, the naughty whale then let go of the chain, leaped out of the water and then disappeared beneath the waves.
The owner of the hijacked boat told MyComoxValleyNow.com that he and his wife had moored their boat in the harbor so they could go home and let their dogs out.
They returned for their boat at 3pm and were pulling into the parking lot in Comox when Dan discovered that the mast of R-Therapy was nowhere to be seen.
The Campbells jumped in their dinghy and went out searching for the missing sailboat when they learned from other boaters on board a yacht that an orca had dragged R-Therapy into their vessel, causing a small-scale collision.
Both boats sustained some minor damage.
Ahoy! The orca eventually caused the boat to sideswipe another couple’s bigger yacht
The orca has been hanging out in the area near Vancouver Island for a week
Off he goes! After having his fun, the transient killer whale breached and swam away
The culprit of the crash has been sighted in the area of Comox Harbor and Royston for about a week, after it broke off from a group of orcas on July 22.
While Mr Campbell said he was told by an official from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans that this particular whale is known for its playful antics, some experts are concerned that TO73B might be suffering from stress.
‘Seeing interaction between a whale and a vessel like that, it’s definitely [cause] for some concern,’ marine mammal researcher Josh McInnes told CTV News. ‘I personally see a bit of stress coming from that animal.’
The Canadian Coast Guard has been in the area monitoring the rogue whale and making sure that people keep a distance of at least 656 feet from the animal, as required under a newly adopted regulation.
The cheeky orca parted ways with his family several years ago and has been known to shuttle back and forth between Alaska and Southern California, but experts are troubled that he has been less transient as of late and making stops in harbors along the way.