What's New
The orca that made headlines in 2018 for carrying her stillborn calf for 17 days off the coast of Washington and British Columbia has given birth to a new baby, according to Michael Weiss, research director of the Center for Whale Research (CWR).
Tahlequah, or J35 as the mother orca is scientifically known, was first spotted by the center's experts with a new baby calf by her side on December 20 in the Puget Sound area. The center is dedicated to tracking down the southern resident orca population in the Pacific Northwest.
Why It Matters
The story of Tahlequah carrying her dead baby across 1,000 miles of ocean in 2018 in an apparent act of grieving was widely circulated six years ago, contributing to creating more awareness and interest in the orca population and their fate.
Orcas, or killer whales, are listed as endangered in Canada and, according to the CWR, they are "one of the most critically endangered populations of marine mammals in the USA."
The center is actively advocating for the recovery of orcas' main food supply, salmon, in the Pacific through habitat restoration, the removal of dams, and "rational management of fisheries" in the Pacific Northwest.
What To Know
On December 21, the CWR wrote on Facebook that the calf had been spotted swimming by the mother orca's side "for the past several days" in the Puget Sound area, which is outside of their normal research range.
"The calf was potentially seen traveling with J35 but CWR researchers have not been able to be on the water yet to have our first official encounter with the new calf to confirm," the center wrote.
In its latest update on Tuesday, the center wrote that researchers were able to observe the calf for longer and confirm that it is Tahlequah's baby. The calf, which is female, is being called by her scientific name, J61.
The Center for Whale Research has been made aware that a new calf has been seen traveling with J pod as of December 20th. J pod has been in the Puget Sound area for the past several days now which is...
What People Are Saying
Holly Fearnbach, marine mammal research director at research and marine wildlife rescue organization SR3, told The Seattle Times of Tahlequah: "She was one of the first that made people realize they have such a high level of reproductive loss; I don't think people realized that.
"She was such an important whale for changing the way the world sees southern resident killer whales and brought a lot of attention to make sure they get enough food and limit vessel interactions."
What's Next
Unfortunately, it's not all good news for mother orca and her baby. Researchers at the CWR have expressed concern over the well-being of the two whales after observing their behavior—though they did not specify what triggered their alarm.
"Early life is always dangerous for new calves, with a very high mortality rate in the first year," the center wrote in a message on Facebook. "J35 is an experienced mother, and we hope that she is able to keep J61 alive through these difficult early days."
Seattle-based nonprofit organization Orca Conservancy wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the calf had been observed "being pushed around on J35's head and was not looking lively, which is a concern, but also added calf behavior is not fully understood."
The organization then called for more efforts to be done to preserve vital salmon stocks in the Pacific to support the growth of the orca population in the area.
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