Rescuers say it could take days to remove a cray pot line tangled around an orca in Northland.
Jo "Floppy" Halliday, co-founder of Whale Rescue, says rope from the cray pot is tangled around the body and pectoral fin of the orca and would be causing it immense pain.
"The cray pot has been taken off somehow - he's probably scooted along some rocks or something to remove it - but the rope itself is still wrapped around the fin," Halliday told Newshub.
"As he goes forward in the water it creates more friction up against the skin and it will start to rip through - a little bit like a cheese slice will go through cheese very slowly."
The orca became entangled on Monday afternoon around Tutakaka, with a team sent out on Tuesday morning to attempt to remove the line.
"The animal can become very ill and of course end up dying in pain - this is one of the reasons to try and make sure the rope is removed from around the body."
Current conditions were "not going to help the situation" and depending on the weather and how calm the orca stays during the operation, "it could take days" for rescuers to remove the line, Halliday said.
She said the orca is continuing to swim around, and was last in Parua Bay.
A spokesperson for the Department of Conservation is urging people to stay away from the orca and let the disentangle team work.
The orca was one of three in the pod, the spokesperson said. As well as the tangled orca, there were two other adults nearby.
People should stay at least 50m away and refraining from getting in the water as it could be dangerous, the spokesperson said.
