NEW HOPE

Orca That Carried Dead Calf for 17 Days Has Given Birth Again

U.S whale watching groups expressed concerns about the orcas’ food supply, saying there is no guarantee the new calf, designated J57, will survive.

Whale watchers from the Pacific Whale Watch Association discovered this weekend off the coast of British Columbia that a mother orca that made headlines in 2018 for carrying her dead calf for 17 days has given birth again. On Saturday, Center for Whale Research scientists confirmed the whale watchers’ earlier sightings of the mother orca, identified as J35, with a “very small calf” in U.S. waters. Since its dorsal fin was upright, researchers say they believe it was born Friday, as it takes a few days to straighten after being bent in gestation. With the new calf’s birth, the Southern resident killer whale population is now 73. However, researchers also stressed that due to dwindling food supply, including the scarcity of Chinook salmon, young orcas have an estimated 40 percent mortality rate.