Locals hunt a killer whale in Norfolk

Two birdwatchers have excited the marine world by claiming that they sighted a killer whale off the coast of Norfolk.

Giles Dunmore and Phil Vines were watching seabirds close to Cromer when it happened.

Mr Dunmore said: "I can't estimate how far out it was but I suddenly saw an area of disturbed water and then this black hump came out of the sea and a great big, black dorsal fin - then it disappeared.”

Unlike killer sharks which are instantly terrifying due to their monstrous appearance, killer whales in comparison are assumed to be a rather more placid creature, although they too can sometimes kill humans.

Although the number of whales, killer or otherwise, has been increasing in British waters in recent years, this is thought to be the first to ever surface in Norfolk.

Leaving aside how the men could accurately tag the whale as a ‘killer’ given their limited view of the mammal, the sighting is being lent serious professional credence with county mammal recorder, Dr David Leech, giving his opinion that the men’s story was “highly reliable.”

Most whales tend to frequent the colder waters around the Shetland Islands, but if this was indeed one of their number who put in an appearance, it’s likely that Norfolk’s good and plentiful food supplies was the reason for its journey south.