For the first time in 50 years, orcas have returned to the "bloody cove," where, half a century ago, humans used to drown whales (video).

For the first time since 1970, the population of orcas, known as southern residents and classified as endangered, has been spotted in Penn Cove. This cove, located along the coast of Washington state, became the site of a notorious whaling incident, according to IFLScience.

On August 8, 1970, a large-scale attempt was made to surround the orcas in Penn Cove and capture them for display in marine parks. Over half a century ago, more than 80 orcas were herded into the cove using speedboats, explosives, and reconnaissance planes.

In total, seven calves were captured, including Tokitae, also known as Lolita—she spent over 50 years in captivity and died last year, shortly before she was to be released back into the wild.

It is reported that during this "grim operation," around five orcas drowned in the nets. Later, it was revealed that the participants in the incident sank the dead whales to cover up their crime. The public outcry following the capture became a turning point. In 1972, the U.S. Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act, making it illegal to capture orcas without a permit.

Since then, the waters of the state have been unofficially closed to orca captures, but unfortunately, this was not enough to bring the whales back to the cove. It took the animals over half a century to finally return to the "scene of the crime."

According to researchers from the nonprofit organization Ocean Conservancy, on November 4, representatives of the southern resident population entered Penn Cove on the eastern side of Whidbey Island. To the best of scientists' knowledge, this is the first time since 1970 that southern residents have entered the cove.

Moreover, the next day the pod returned and was spotted swimming further into the cove, where they surfaced and breached, looking for others. It is noteworthy that this behavior involves the whales holding themselves vertically in the water, with their heads above the surface to see what is happening around them.

The return of the orcas to the infamous cove was a pleasant surprise; however, it also served as a reminder of why the whales disappeared from this region. Science has shown that orcas are cultural animals that pass down information from generation to generation. Because of this, the whales that were attacked by humans in the 1970s have avoided this area ever since, teaching their calves to do the same.

Researchers are still uncertain about why the orcas have returned to the cove at this time. According to scientists, one possible explanation is that there were enough breaks between generations for younger individuals to be open to exploring new areas. Researchers also believe that the whales may have returned to the cove to seek shelter from wind gusts and for rest.

It is important to note that the southern resident population of orcas is listed as endangered. The main threats to the whales include vessels, the presence of pollutants, and the decline in available food sources.