Two Orcas Ram Struggling Gray Whale Back Towards a Beach

That giant 40 foot Gray Whale that has been beached and unbeached 3 times in the past week, or so, on beaches near Everett and the Tulalip Reservation, just can not catch a break.

The beached Gray Whale successfully got off the beach, with human help, on the Tulalip Reservation, with Tribal Police guarding the struggling whale.

But, after the Gray Whale was back swimming in Puget Sound it was on its own, no Tulalip Tribal Police to look after it.

A Tulalip resident who lives on a bluff over looking Puget Sound witnessed a pair of Orcas (also known as Killer Whales) ramming the Gray Whale repeatedly.

To escape the ramming Orcas, the Gray Whale swam to shallower water.

Was the escape successful? Is the Gray Whale beached again, yet to be found? A big whale can not survive repeated beachings.

I wonder if those bullying Orcas are what was the cause of the Gray Whale beaching itself?

I've always found Orcas to be very polite. Well, actually, I've only had one encounter. Fishing with my mom and dad out in the San Juan Islands, by Orcas Island, appropriately, we found ourselves surrounded by an Orca Pod. Including 2 babies. A couple of the Orcas got very close to the boat, as if to check us out.

This Orca Pod encounter was just about the coolest thing I ever experienced on Puget Sound. An encounter that pre-dated digital cameras and the omnipresent ability to get a picture, should something picture worthy occur. So, sadly, no photos exists documenting my one and only encounter with an Orca Pod.

I wonder if that giant Gray Whale did something to make that pair of Orcas mad?

Another Whale Beaches Itself On Puget Sound

What is going on in the water of Puget Sound that has whales trying to leave it for dry ground?

The latest whale to reject the sound is a 38-40 gray whale.

He or she first beached itself at 2 beaches near Everett.

The whale was returned to the sound, but has now come ashore again, at Mission Beach on the Tulalip Reservation.

Tulalip Tribal police boats have set up a protection zone around the beached whale, keeping whale looky-loos at a distance, so rescue workers could work. Before the Tribal police moved to protect the whale, people were coming up to it in boats and kayaks.

Yesterday, when the tide hit its lowest point, the whale was completely out of the water. When the tide came in again the whale was still partly out of the water. Workers kept hosing the beached whale with water to keep its exposed to the sun back wet.

The whale shows signs of trying to move back into the water and is not thrashing, so far, in panic mode.

In a strange side note, in my current location in the Dallas/Fort Worth zone, area lakes do not appeal to me, due to things like water moccasins and garfish. And giant catfish.

However, in Washington, I never worried about swimming in Puget Sound, with whales, orcas, giant octupus, crabs, sharks, sea lions and seals. I guess, maybe, it's because all those Puget Sound sea critters mind their own business, while you really don't want to cross paths with a water moccasin when you are in a Texas lake.

I hope the Tulalip whale changes its mind about moving to land and happily swims off again into the Puget Sound.