![Photographer John Rollins has visited the site five times to capture the killer whales in action](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/world-news/2024/04/26/TELEMMGLPICT000375204798_17141210612640_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqfTCWBQ5pcVqNtVYH0DiOslFx7oZS3G0ps1JcMwBJxFI.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Pictured: Sea lion pups outsmart orca
The pair of pups had a lucky escape when the killer whale was left stranded on a pebbled beach in Patagonia
![Photographer John Rollins has visited the site five times to capture the killer whales in action](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/world-news/2024/04/26/TELEMMGLPICT000375204798_17141210612640_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqfTCWBQ5pcVqNtVYH0DiOslFx7oZS3G0ps1JcMwBJxFI.jpeg?imwidth=680)
A pair of sea lion pups had a lucky escape after outsmarting a hunting Orca and leaving the giant whale stranded on a beach in Argentina.
The two pups were being pursued relentlessly by the killer whale – a pregnant female in search of her next meal – and managed to lure her onto the pebbled beach at Punta Norte on Peninsula Valdes.
The incident was captured by John Rollins, a 59-year-old wildlife photographer, who has travelled to the area five times to photograph the Orca’s hunting technique.
![The sea lions pups were able to get away from the hunting whale after it became stranded on the beach](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/world-news/2024/04/26/TELEMMGLPICT000375174789_17141210300960_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqqVzuuqpFlyLIwiB6NTmJwWyaKjL1CatlwZEbgNRqSgg.jpeg?imwidth=350)
![The female killer whale was drawn onto the beach when chasing the two sea lion pups](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/world-news/2024/04/26/TELEMMGLPICT000375174792_17141210827900_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqqVzuuqpFlyLIwiB6NTmJwWyaKjL1CatlwZEbgNRqSgg.jpeg?imwidth=350)
“The Orcas of Peninsula Valdes in Patagonian Argentina have a unique hunting strategy of intentionally stranding themselves on the pebble beaches of the peninsula in order to hunt sea lion pups in the very shallow water,” Mr Rollins said on his social media account.
“The behaviour itself is rare and there are a number of obstacles to photographing it.”
The Peninsula Valdes is a small, remote section of Argentina’s coastline bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was made a Unesco World Heritage site in 1999 for its vast nature reserves and marine wildlife.