Grieving orca who carried dead calf for 17 days in 2018 spotted with newborn calf
The Center for Whale Research received a report that the orca, known colloquially as “Tahlequah" and officially as J35, was seen with a new calf on Friday in the northern Washington waters.
Orcas and humpback whales battle in the Salish Sea
FILE - Video shows an hours-long fight in the Salish Sea between a large group of transient orcas and a pair of humpback whales.
FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash. — An orca that captured the world’s attention in 2018 after she carried her dead newborn calf for weeks appears to be a new mother again, bringing a sign of hope to researchers.
The Center for Whale Research received a report that the orca, known colloquially as "Tahlequah" and officially as J35, was seen with a new calf on Friday in northern Washington waters. Their team of researchers was able to observe J35 and the new calf Monday.
"These observations allow us to more confidently assign the new calf’s mother as J35 and give it the alpha-numeric designation J61," Center for Whale Research officials said on Facebook. "Additionally, the team was able to photograph the calf’s underside, confirming that the calf is a female."
Newborn Calf Joins J-Pod, Spotted with Tahlequah.
(Brittany Philbin / FOX Weather)
Tahlequah made world headlines six years ago when she was spotted carrying her dead newborn on her head for 17 days in apparent grief after losing her calf, unwilling to let go. Researchers said the calf likely died about 30 minutes after birth.
"We left and we went across the Strait thinking we were about to document the first new calf in three years," Michael Weiss of the Center for Whale Research told FOX 13 Seattle in 2018. "We were excited. It was going to be a really special day. And then, by the time we got there, just that moment of realization that it was already dead, it was pretty brutal."
Now researchers will hold their breath to see if J61 can survive.
"The team, including multiple experienced killer whale researchers, have expressed concern about the calf’s health based on the behavior of both J35 and J61," the Center for Whale Research said Tuesday. "Early life is always dangerous for new calves, with a very high mortality rate in the first year. J35 is an experienced mother, and we hope that she is able to keep J61 alive through these difficult early days."
Tamara Kelley of Orca Conservancy, told FOX 13 Seattle the mortality rate for calves born to Southern Resident killer whales remains high, with approximately 50% not surviving.