Joaquín had spent years seeing whales off the coast of Coronel, Chile, but never anything like this. A group of orcas slowly approached his boat, swimming near the surface, as if they wanted to show something. And they did: one of them was dragging a heavy rope with buoys tangled around its tail.
They did not move away. They stayed there, patiently, while the crew understood the message. Using a boat hook, they snagged the floating ropes; with a knife, they cut the weight that was immobilizing it. Minutes later, the orca was swimming free again.
Joaquín believes it was a mother asking for help for her calf. The video, once published, filled with comments about memory, gratitude, and animal intelligence. 💖