Grieving orca spotted carrying another dead baby off Washington. ‘Devastating’
_fitted.png "A Southern Resident killer whale baby is pictured before its death.")
An endangered whale was spotted off Washington carrying her calf’s deceased body over a week after the baby was first documented by researchers.
The baby Southern Resident killer whale was confirmed dead Dec. 31, the Center for Whale Research said in a Facebook post.
“The death of any calf in the SRKW population is a tremendous loss, but the death of J61 is particularly devastating,” the nonprofit said.
The calf was named J-61 after it was seen swimming with J pod Dec. 20 in the Puget Sound, McClatchy News reported and the group said.
The news of a baby brought hope to researchers and whale watchers as Southern Resident killer whale numbers have dwindled over the years.
It’s also the second time Tahlequah, also known as J-35, has been seen carrying her dead offspring.
In 2018, she tugged her dead baby for 17 days — a time known as her “tour of grief,” the nonprofit said.
Tahlequah has lost two of her four calves.
Jami Cantrell is a Washington-based photographer who captured Tahlequah on camera swimming with her dead calf off the east side of Vashon Island.
Cantrell said the public is witnessing Tahlequah’s “second tour of grief.”
“She is crying out for help, for change, and sending a powerful signal about the state of the Salish Sea,” Cantrell told McClatchy News.
Southern Resident killer whales were listed as endangered species in 2005 and are listed as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
These whales are made up of three groups: J, K and L pods, and they spend summer and fall months in the Puget Sound and in the waters off southern Vancouver Island, NOAA said.
“While most other killer whale populations are doing well, the Southern Residents are among the world’s most endangered marine mammals,” the federal agency said.
Lack of prey (mainly Chinook salmon), chemical pollution and noise disturbances from vessels have all contributed to a decline in their population, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Additionally, for this whale population, 69% of births fail, according to a study published by researchers from the University of Washington.
“The responsibility to save these whales falls on us. We can’t just say we love them—we have to act,” Cantrell said.
But as researchers learned about the death of J-61, they confirmed a new calf swimming with J-pod and identified it as J-62.
“The calf was amongst multiple females throughout their encounter, so more observations are needed to verify who the mother is,” the group said.
Its sex hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it appears to be “physically and behaviorally normal.”
“The hard truth is that, as much as we celebrate the birth of a new calf, we know we’re often setting ourselves up for heartbreak. We are watching this species slowly disappear, right before our eyes. They need food—and they need it now,” Cantrell said in a Facebook post.
This story was originally published January 2, 2025 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Grieving orca spotted carrying another dead baby off Washington. ‘Devastating’."
