Disabled killer whale with missing fins survives with the help of family who hunt for its food
- Rainer Schimpf spotted the whale off Port Elizabeth in South Africa
- It was missing its right-side pectoral fin and dorsal fin
- But it was cared for by its pod which shared food with the young male
A disabled killer whale that is missing two fins is able to survive in the wild with the help of its family, who hunt food its food.
The young killer whale has no dorsal fin or right-side pectoral fin, leaving it unable to hunt for itself.
But rather than be left to fend for
itself or die, the whale appears to be cared for by members of its pod,
which share their food with the youngster.
The disabled killer whale is allowed to share the spoils of the hunt by fellow pod members
The young whale is missing its dorsal fin and its right pectoral fin and cannot hunt
The killer whale was photographed off the coast of Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Rainer Schimpf
It is one of the few times that killer whales have been seen to feed and care for a non-hunting member.
photographer Rainer Schimpf came face to face with the pod while the members hunted in waters off Port Elizabeth in South Africa.
He said: 'Incapable of fast hunting and ambushing prey it has to be dependent on the pod which, one assumes, looks after it very well.
'It shows these mammals are not really just ruthless killing machines but they also have complex, caring social-structures in which they and care for their own disabled members.'
Mr Schimpf had been tracking the pod of seven as they hunted a Bryde's whale - measuring 50ft (15m) in length and weighing a massive 15 tonnes.
The curious killer whale investigated the photographer's boat but did not join in the pod's hunt
The photographer said the care shown to the disabled whale shows the species are not 'ruthless'
The whale's disability means it could not hunt at speed and ambush its prey and relies on other members
Killer whales are known to hunt and kill larger whale species - but sometimes only eat the tongue, research has shown.
The pod also included a female with a bent dorsal fin like the killer whale in Free Willy, a 'huge male' and four other females.
He said the younger whale followed at a distance and appeared to have fallen behind.
The younger killer whale stayed at a distance when the rest of the pod hunted at the surface and then in the depths.
'It was brave and curious enough to come close to the boat and inspect us,' said Mr Schimpf, a guide for Dive Expert Tour.
'But after a while he disappeared as well, presumably to dive down to the whale-feast below.
'Such a kill would easily support the entire orca pod and make sharing of the kill much easier than if they had taken a seal or a dolphin.'
Mr Schimpf was tracking a 50ft Bryde's whale when he came across the unusual pod
The young disabled male stayed at a distance when the pod went in for the kill after hunting the Bryde's whale
One of the pod had a bent dorsal fin, pictured, that was similar to the famous killer whale in Free Willy
The find is one of only a handful where injured or disabled killer whales have been known to survive with the help of its pod.
In 1996 researchers spotted a killer-whale calf that was missing its tail and part of its dorsal fin - believed to have been sliced off by a boat propeller.
The injured killer whale - known as stumpy - was not seen for many seasons afterwards and presumed dead until it popped up again seven years later.
It was last seen feeding with a pod off the coast of Queensland, Australia, in 2008.