Endangered orca who carried dead calf for weeks gives birth to 'precocious' baby
In 2018, a momma orca carried her dead calf for 17 days. Two years later, she gave birth to a healthy and lively baby.
In 2018, a mother orca carried her dead calf for 17 days in what scientists call a "tour of grief." Canadians followed the story closely and grieved with the mamma whale. Now, two years later, we can celebrate with the mom, named Tahlequah or J35, as she welcomes a healthy new baby.
The sweet new calf, named J57, was spotted in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, right along the US-Canada border near Washington and Victoria, British Columbia.
Tahlequah is the matriarch of J pod, one of three endangered groups of orcas that live between the Washington-B.C. border.
The endangered killer whales have struggled to survive in recent years as their main source of food, chinook salmon, have become scarce.
According to the Center for Whale Research, the current population of these whales, including the newborn, is estimated to be 73.
Because of these food restrictions, there's a 40 per cent mortality rate for calves, and there's a high chance of failed pregnancies.
Despite the struggles of the J pod and Mamma J35, the new calf was seen happily swimming along with its mom and is described as "healthy and precocious."
Endangered, scarce sustenance, living between two countries, and these orcas continue to live their best lives. Perhaps we should look to the black and white whale.
