Boat captain breaks up potential battle between orcas, deer

A buck swam safely to shore after a whale-watching tour boat performed a manoeuvre to separate it from a pod of transient orcas, which have been known to prey on such mammals in the past. (Mark Malleson/Prince of Whales Whale Watching)

Captain of a whale watching boat stepped in to assist a wayward deer that swam dangerously close to a pod of orcas on the weekend.

A group of whale watchers were out on a Prince of Whales zodiac boat off East Sooke Park Sunday when they spotted what looked like a tree branch in the water.

The boat moved closer and discovered it wasn’t a tree, but the antlers of a deer trying to make its way across.

The boat’s captain also noticed a pod of transient orcas lurking nearby at the same time. read more