Killer whales seen hunting for seals off Scotland

AN AMATEUR photographer had a whale of a time when she captured these stunning photographs of a killer whale pod on the hunt for seals.

Killer whales spotted in close to shore between Mey and the Duncansby Stacks in Caithness and caught on camera by local photographer Karen Munro. Picture: Hemedia

Karen Munro, 38, caught the group of 10 killer whales near John O’Groats on camera and has even started naming the individuals.

The whale enthusiast, from Scrabster, said: “I first saw them up at John O’Groats near where the sign is.

“Then I went up to Duncansby Head to get ahead of them as it gives a much better view.

Karen Munro, 38, from Scrabster caught the pod of 10 killer whales near John OGroats. Picture: Hemedia

“There was about 10 of them in total and they were definitely hunting seals from how they were behaving.

“They don’t normally come in that close to the shore for anything else, and although we didn’t see any seals, from the way they were moving it was how they behave when they are hunting.

“One of them is known as number 19 and she is easily identified by her notched dorsal and scarred saddle patch.

“She’s been seen in Scotland during the summer months for a few years now and has also been spotted in Iceland during the winter.”