The appearance of a new orca calf in Washington’s Puget Sound last month was cause for celebration.
The young female, whom researchers named J61, is the latest addition to the Southern Resident Population, an endangered group of federally protected fish-eating killer whales that stretches from British Columbia to Monterey. Its birth was doubly moving. The mother cow, known as J35, gained worldwide attention in 2018 when she carried the body of her dead calf for 17 days before releasing it into the ocean.
But on New Year’s Day, scientists announced the “shocking news” that a young calf had died and its mother was once again carrying the remains of her lost calf.
“The death of a calf in this area is [Southern Resident killer whale] This is a huge loss to the population,” the Center for Whale Research, a nonprofit organization dedicated to studying the population, posted on Facebook on Wednesday. “J61’s death not only confirms that she was a female and could someday lead her own maternal line, but also that her mother, J35, lost two of her four recorded calves. It’s especially shocking when you consider that.
The center confirmed on December 24 that the calf was born as type J35. Researchers observing the whale soon noticed unspecified unusual behavior between the mother and calf and became concerned about the calf’s health.
“The early years of life are always dangerous for newborn calves, and mortality rates are extremely high during the first year,” the center said in a Facebook post. “J35 is an experienced mother and we hope she will be able to keep J61 alive through this difficult early period.”
When the second whale calf died shortly after birth in 2018, J35 carried the baby’s body for hundreds of miles, gently pushing it with its snout and holding its flippers in its mouth. As the days passed and J35 grew thinner and thinner, other whales in the pod took over caring for the calf’s body so that the mother could rest. J35 gave birth to a healthy male calf in September 2020.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Southerners are threatened by increased pollution and boating disruptions in the Salish Sea surrounding Puget Sound, as well as declining numbers of Chinook salmon, a key component of their diet. .
Brady Bradshaw of the Center for Biological Diversity said in a statement: “The loss of another orca pup is devastating. The only remedy to this tragedy is to do more to help southern orcas. ” he said. “Washington’s new recreational boat buffers will help give killer whales space and peace to hunt, but state and federal agencies are also working to provide killer whales with enough safe food to keep wild salmon in the wild. We also need to restore the population and crack down on pollution.”
Amid the sad news of J61’s loss, the Center for Whale Research pointed out that there is also reason for hope. On Monday, researchers observed a new young killer whale swimming in a J pod, which they named J62. This calf appears to be healthy.
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