We are saddened to report that a baby Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) died a short time after it was born near Victoria, British Columbia on July 24, 2018. The newborn whale was reported alive and swimming with its mother, J35 ... whaleresearch.com/j35
A heartbroken scene of a grieving Orca (Killer Whale) carrying her dead newborn calf floating during 3 days off the cost of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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| A female Orca carried her head calf floating during three days off the cost of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
VietPress USA (July 27, 2018): Orca or the killer whale (Orcinus orca) is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. Killer whales have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as seals and dolphins. They have been known to attack baleen whale calves, and even adult whales. Killer whales are apex predators, as there is no animal that preys on them. Killer whales are considered a cosmopolitan species, and can be found in each of the world's oceans in a variety of marine environments, from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas—killer whales are only absent from the Baltic and Black seas, and some areas of the Arctic Ocean.
Killer whales are highly social; some populations are composed of matrilineal family groups (pods) which are the most stable of any animal species. Their sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviours, which are often specific to a particular group and passed across generations, have been described as manifestations of animal culture.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature assesses the orca's conservation status as data deficient because of the likelihood that two or more killer whale types are separate species. Some local populations are considered threatened or endangered due to prey depletion, habitat loss, pollution (by PCBs), capture for marine mammal parks, and conflicts with human fisheries. In late 2005, the Southern Resident Killer Whales, the population that inhabits British Columbia and Washington state waters, were placed on the U.S. Endangered Species list.
Wild killer whales are not considered a threat to humans, but there have been cases of captive orcas killing or injuring their handlers at marine theme parks. Killer whales feature strongly in the mythologies of indigenous cultures, with their reputation ranging from being the souls of humans to merciless killers. (Wikipedia).
This story published the first time on the Washington State Times 3 days ago; and now reproduced by HuffPost. Please read it here on Yahoo News at:
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Grieving Mother Orca Whale Carries Dead Calf For Days
A grieving orca whale has been carrying her dead newborn calf for days in a heart-wrenching scene off the coast of Victoria, British Columbia.
“It is unbelievably sad,” Brad Hanson, a biologist with the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, told The Seattle Times.
The calf was born alive on Tuesday near the San Juan Islands in Washington state, close to the U.S.-Canada border, according to the Center for Whale Research. But it died a short time later of unknown causes.
The center is now monitoring the mother, who has spent days repeatedly nosing her sinking calf to the surface and balancing the small body on her head. She was still spotted Friday with the calf.
Researchers are concerned about the extra effort the mother orca is expending and its effect on her health. She was lagging at the back of her pod, according to Taylor Shedd of Soundwatch, which helps protect the whales from ships and boaters.
The mother whale’s first response was to get her baby to air, said Ken Balcomb, a scientist with the Center for Whale Research. “I’m sure that she’s aware that it’s deceased,” he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, but “she’s reluctant to leave her baby.” Researchers have seen similar orca behavior before, but never so prolonged, he said.
“Having a newborn, there were a few moments of brief, brief happiness, and then followed by disappointment and sadness,” Dr. Anna Hall, a marine biologist with the center, told CBC. “This is a population that is clearly struggling in terms of numbers.”
The orca mother is known to researchers as J-35. She travels with one of three remaining “southern resident” orca pods off the coast of Oregon, Washington state and Vancouver Island.
The area’s endangered orca population has reached its lowest point in decades, and the species is on the brink of extinction, according to the whale center. The population has been decimated by ship traffic, toxins in the ocean, and particularly, the disappearance of the orcas’ main food source, chinook salmon.
The total number of southern resident killer whales is now just 75. The last successful birth in the pod occurred in 2015. A 2017 study found that two-thirds of orca pregnancies failed over a seven-year period. Researchers attributed the failed pregnancies to a lack of salmon.
“During years of low salmon abundance, we see hormonal signs that nutritional stress is setting in, and more pregnancies fail, and this trend has become increasingly common in recent years,” Sam Wasser, a biology professor at the University of Washington and the lead author of the study, said in a statement.
The southern resident orcas were first designated an endangered species in the U.S. 13 years ago.
- This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
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