Killer whales stalk Fungie in Dingle harbour

June 1991

FUNGIE the Dingle dolphin had a narrow escape from death when a school of nine killer whales stalked him in the mouth of Dingle Harbour.

The killer whales known as Orcas are the fiercest and ultimate predators in the ocean according to Department of a Marine fisheries officer, Kevin Flannery. They have a bite with a diameter of over three feet enabling them to bite nine full grown dolphin in half.

“It was must unusual to see the killer whales at the mouth of the harbour. Their main diet is dolphins and seals and Fungie certainly had a very narrow escape from them,” he said.

Mr. Flannery explained that the killer whales even make mince meat of sharks in a matter of seconds and that these marauders were just within a couple of hundred yards from where Fungie fled to hide from them.

“Fungie moved fast when the whales came in and sheltered in Sladeen. The goose that lays the golden egg for Dingle had a very narrow escape,” he added. Mr. Flannery speculates that the fact that Fungie was not communicating with any other Dolphins when the killer whales were in the harbour saved him this time.

“The killer whales are the most sophisticated hunters in the sea and Fungie would have been easy prey for them. Orcas have even been known to sweep seal pups from a beach,” said Mr. Flannery.

The whales are often off the Blaskets where they feed on the abundant supply of seals in the area. Mr. Flannery thinks that the nine killer whales may have been following a school of Dolphins.

News of Fungie’s near demise comes in wake of Taoiseach Charles Haughey’s declaration that all Irish seas are to be whale and dolphin sanctuaries.

The hunting of dolphins and whales within Ireland’s 200mile exclusive fishery limits is banned. Unfortunately the news does not appear to have perculated through to the killer whales off the Kerry coast.