Penguin Leaps Into Tour Boat to Avoid Being Eaten By Killer Whales!

[Amaryllis]

A dinghy full of tourists saw the nature film of a lifetime, right in front of their eyes.

A gentoo penguin that was being chased by a pod of orcas made a desperation leap for safety into their boat.

The successful jump happened only after a first attempt had failed, when the small animal flung itself headfirst into the side of the boat and bounced back into the perilous water.

Travel blogger Matt Karsten and his wife Anna were taking a tour through the icebergs of the Gerlache Strait in Antarctica, when they saw the incredible chase unfold.

In the video below, the life-saving leap happens at 2:00, ending the long chase scene…

The people on the boat help the penguin dive over the side into the boat!

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/penguin-leaps-into-boat-to-avoid-orca/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=15-03-2021

[Iliyah]

1. Survival. . .

of the fittest!

[Volaris]

6. Agreed, but.....

If those whales decided to, that boat and those people wouldnt do fuckall to keep that bird safe lol.

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

2. That little penguin knew where to go.

Pretty amazing that it knew the people were safe to go to. As they pulled it into the boat you can see it just relax and let them put it further into the boat. I think the poor thing was exhausted also.

[wnylib]

14. Did the penguin really know that

the people and the boat were safe? Or did it jump into the boat the same as it might jump onto a rock? Anything to get out of the water where the orcas could not reach it.

Looks like the penguin distracted the orcas from their curiosity about the boat, which they could easily have tipped over. A win win for the penguin and the boat people.

[wryter2000]

3. You're probably not supposed to touch the animals

But I would have done it

[dlk]

4. Nice inspiration for a Monday morning

Survival of the fittest in action. Thanks for sharing.

[calimary]

5. The fittest, and the smartest.

Somehow that little guy recognized a life-saving option when it presented itself.

[dlk]

7. He was so cute!

[wnylib]

15. Desperation. Any port in a storm.

[Historic NY]

8. Standing up in a raft isn't the smartest either...

a good nudge by the "killer" whales and lunch would become a buffet.

[TheRickles]

9. Good that somebody stopped filming for a minute to lend a helping hand.

[eppur_se_muova]

10. Hmmm ... inflatable boats ... sharp-toothed carnivores ... maybe not a good combination.

If the orcas figure that out, these tours could end.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

11. Maybe they were playing hide and seek....

[birdographer]

12. Kinda makes you wonder

what happened next? How did they get him back safely in the water? Or is he now living in a kiddy pool in Indiana?

[Amaryllis]

13. If you watch to the end, penguin dives back into the water once the orcas are gone.

[BobTheSubgenius]

16. "I don't know what this thing is, or anything about the creatures inside,

but they CAN'T be worse than killer whales. It's right there in the name."

On the gorgeous summer afternoon, on a glass-flat strait, my sister, aunt and I scattered my father's ashes while circumnavigating James Island, probably his favourite place on Earth, and home of some of our family's cherished memories, although other than my 92-year old aunt, I am the only one left to carry those memories.

While on the way there from the marina, about a 20-minute motor, a pod of orcas surfaced all around us. Although they are well-known to be harmless to humans, they certainly have the potential to tear our small boat apart and bite each of us in half. It was a little unnerving, quite surreal, and, for some reason, very poignant.

I don't imagine I'll ever forget that. TONS of very efficient killing machines that great whites are rightfully afraid of, and I could have touched them with an oar.


It felt like they were welcoming my dad back home.

[lucca18]

17. That is a comforting and beautiful experience.

[BobTheSubgenius]

18. It really made the occasion ultra-memorable.

It was, to use a vastly-overused word, awesome. Awe-inspiring.