Apart from the existing few killer whales, a pod of new killer whales moved to Cape Town, which threatens the habitat of the great white shark, the top predator surrounding the mother city.
The killer whales are believed to be seeking a new hunting territory, which is right around the local coast of the city. There has already been a massive decline of great white shark sightings around False Bay, which is usually where you could spot them regularly. The killer whales have migrated due to a lack of species in other parts of the world, primarily surrounding Asia, due to shark hunting for finning purposes by the Chinese.
While the killer whiles are hunting the most feared species of sharks, shark finning has been the leading cause of the lack of species around the world, causing mass endangerment and the possibility of the extinction of certain shark species over the next few decades. While shark finning is a brutal practice on its own, the way killer whales hunt sharks are equally as bad, as they kill the shark by eating only its liver, leaving its entire body behind.
Killer Whales in Cape Town – A Danger to Great White Sharks
The two killer whales, named Starboard and Port, have made their way to the shores of Cape Town in the past few years, and have been spotted chasing sharks close to the shore in Gansbaai. More killer whale sightings have been spotted in Simon’s Town and Buffels Bay.
Even though killer whales have been visiting the shores of Cape Town more over the past few years, they’ve never been as aggressive towards sharks, which leaves scientists to believe that they have become more focused on hunting sharks than their usual meal, which includes otters and seals.
