@guardian: A pod of at least 10 orcas were filmed trapped in drift ice off the coast of Japan, appearing to stick their heads out of the water to breathe. The tightly packed orcas were stuck about 1km off the coast of Rausu on the Shiretoko peninsula, a Unesco world heritage site famed for its abundant wildlife. The coastguard was unable to rescue the mammals as the ice was too thick. “We have no choice but to wait for the ice to break up and for them to escape that way,” a Rausu official told public broadcaster NHK on Tuesday. The largest cetaceans can spend long periods underwater, but killer whales generally stay submerged for only several minutes at a time. The orcas were eventually able to free themselves from the drift ice, local officials were reported as saying on Wednesday. #orcas #wildlife #japan

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Wednesday 07 February 2024 14:38:56 GMT