Killer whale attacks dolphin in front of tourists in New Zealand

Thanks to Tony Lucas

An orca whale has killed a dolphin and her pup in front of a group of tourists who captured the rare event on video.

The whale was in a pod of about eight which targeted a larger number of smaller dolphins.

The attack happened at a seaside beauty spot called Black Rocks, in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Rob Hunt from New Zealand company Explore Images which arranges nature tours and takes photos to help tourists enjoy their experience was on the boat.

The event was a "one in a million" chance, he said. "The boat was just 50 to 100m away while the killing occurred," he added.

He said markings showed it was a female killer whale that chased the doomed dolphin after apparently singling it out.

"It chased it for several minutes, playing with it before flicking the unfortunate creature about 10 metres into the air, then breaking its back on her nose.

"We have been in operation for a little over two years and take on average 400 photos of wildlife a day in addition to tourists interacting with nature.

"I have never known anything like this before to be captured on film. This is mother nature at its most brutal, a rare occurrence that it was seen by humans, and even more rare that it was captured on camera.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthvideo/7538294/Killer-whale-attacks-dolphin-in-front-of-tourists-in-New-Zealand.html