Humans have used and still use all kinds of animals to chase down prey. Dogs are probably the best known example, while other creatures include cats and falcons.
But this post is about something on a whole different level.
Don't get me wrong. Hunting with a pet falcon is bad ass.
But do you know what is even more bad ass?
Hunting with a fucking ORCA 😂
This is the story of the killers of Eden or the Twofold Bay killers.
The killers of Eden was a group of killer whales from Southeastern Australia that cooperated with humans to hunt down other whales, between 1840 and 1930.
The whalers had even given names to most members of the pack, with the most popular one being "Old Tom".
(Old Tom, public domain)
But how did the two species interact?
When the orcas would spot potential victims, they would shepherd them into Twofold Bay (hence their name) or some other place close by and then one of them would swim away to notify the whalers.
This role was usually given to Old Tom, and this is why the whalers used to think he was the leader of the pack. Probably though he was just the messenger.
After the harpooning, the whalers would reward the orcas by leaving the carcasses anchored for a day or so and the orcas would procced to feast on the tongue and lips of the whale victims along with other smaller prey like fish and birds that would show up to pick on the scraps left by the fight!
Eventually the pack died out, either due to natural causes or human activity, possibly both. And the rest was history.
A really fascinating story imo that I first heard about today. If it caught your interest feel free to visit wikipedia, there's plenty more to read. There is even a book
Killers in Eden: The true story of killer whales and their remarkable partnership with the whalers of Twofold Bay
Ok that's it for today's weirdness 🤪