The incredible baby orca whale that learnt 'to speak boat' after mimicking the sound of its propeller



This is the incredible moment boat passengers witnessed the sound of an orca whale that had leant to mimic the noise of an engine.



The remarkable video footage captures orca Luna mimicking the chugging noises, as he swims close to a boat.



The sounds made by the young male whale are almost impossible to distinguish from the noise of the boat's engine.

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Incredible sound: Boat passengers witnessed the sound of an orca whale that had leant to mimic the noise of an engine.

The two-year-old baby mysteriously appeared alone in the waters off Vancouver Island in July 2001, some 200 miles from his pod's usual home territory.



Killer whales are known to be sociable and having become separated from his family, the young Luna made friends with people and boats.



He quickly became a local celebrity known for interacting with boaters, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.



But this sociable nature put the orca at risk and ultimately sealed his fate.

When Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans attempted to capture the whale, the young orca became the subject of a heated confrontation.



The local indigenous tribe believed he was the spirit of their dead chief and sought to lead the whale away from his would be captors.



The tribe was ultimately granted a stewardship permit to keep Luna away from boaters

But then in 2007, tragedy struck, and Luna was killed in a collision with a tugboat, the Huffington Post reported.



Later that year he became the subject of a documentary 'Saving Luna.'

And now the incredible creature is to become the subject of a new documentary 'The Whale.'



Friendly nature: Luna quickly became a local celebrity known for interacting with boaters.

The film will stir the ongoing debate about whale tourism which can disturb and even kill whales.



A 2006 study found that 'the approach of boats disturbed the animals to such an extent that they decreased their food intake by up to 18 percent,' the Telegraph reported.







