Rescuers Are Working To Save An Orphaned Orca Calf Stranded In A Remote British Columbia Lagoon

Rescuers are working to save an orca calf stranded in a remote lagoon on Vancouver Island, off Canada’s west coast, for nearly two weeks.

The calf became stranded in the Zeballos lagoon after its mother became trapped on a sandbar in the lagoon’s shallow waters and died on March 23. The mother was pregnant when she died.

Officials have been monitoring the calf regularly and are developing the best plan to move it and reconnect it with its family pod.

Rescuers are working to save an orca calf stranded in a remote lagoon on Vancouver Island, off Canada’s west coast, for nearly two weeks.

The calf became stranded in the Zeballos lagoon after its mother became trapped on a sandbar in the lagoon’s shallow waters and died on March 23. The mother was pregnant when she died.

Officials have been monitoring the calf regularly and are developing the best plan to move it and reconnect it with its family pod.

“We realized that time is not on our side, so we are now working on logistics of a rescue operation,” Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Paul Cottrell said on Thursday.

Cottrell added that staff had tried various methods to convince the calf to leave the lagoon on its own, including “acoustic playbacks”—recordings of other orca whales. So far, nothing has worked.

Officials initially planned to carry the calf by helicopter but have switched to a truck and boat to prevent upsetting the animal. According to Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John, they intend to entice the calf into an area where it can be loaded onto a vehicle, then drive the animal to a boat and place it in a net pod.

The orca, known as “Little Brave Hunter” or “Kʷiisaḥiʔis” in the Ehattesaht First Nation language, will remain in the net enclosure until its family dies. Then, John explained, it will hopefully be liberated and reunited with its family. The net pen is planned for Esperanza, southeast of Zeballos.

Officials expect to implement this approach within the next week. “It’s a huge effort, and we have a long way to go,” Cottrell stated. “We’re hoping for the best possible outcome.”

The orca family pod was last observed on March 30.

Bay Cetology, one of the companies coordinating the rescue, told CNN that the orca is “robust, showing no immediate signs of emaciation.” The group said attempts have been made to feed the calf, but it is unclear whether it has eaten anything.

“This whale’s skin has just started to slough in sizable patches along the top of the head and base of the dorsal fin on each side perhaps due to the freshwater runoff into the lagoon it is in,” according to the company.

Moving the orca calf “will require a lot of patience as well as cooperation from the whale,” according to Bay Cetology.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), orcas, commonly known as killer whales, are widespread across the world’s waters. They are very sociable and live in family pods of 20 or more whales. According to NOAA, calves normally stay with their moms for the first two years of their lives.

This is not the first time Canadian officials have devised a plan to rescue a solitary and trapped orca calf. In 2002, an orca calf named Springer was discovered alone in Puget Sound, prompting an elaborate capture and relocation effort. She is the first orca in history to successfully reintegrate into a wild population following human intervention.

“We realized that time is not on our side, so we are now working on logistics of a rescue operation,” Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Paul Cottrell said on Thursday.

Cottrell added that staff had tried various methods to convince the calf to leave the lagoon on its own, including “acoustic playbacks”—recordings of other orca whales. So far, nothing has worked.

Rescuers are working to save an orca calf stranded in a remote lagoon on Vancouver Island, off Canada’s west coast, for nearly two weeks.

Officials initially planned to carry the calf by helicopter but have switched to a truck and boat to prevent upsetting the animal. According to Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John, they intend to entice the calf into an area where it can be loaded onto a vehicle, then drive the animal to a boat and place it in a net pod.

The orca, known as “Little Brave Hunter” or “Kʷiisaḥiʔis” in the Ehattesaht First Nation language, will remain in the net enclosure until its family dies. Then, John explained, it will hopefully be liberated and reunited with its family. The net pen is planned for Esperanza, southeast of Zeballos.

Officials expect to implement this approach within the next week. “It’s a huge effort, and we have a long way to go,” Cottrell stated. “We’re hoping for the best possible outcome.”

The orca family pod was last observed on March 30.

Bay Cetology, one of the companies coordinating the rescue, told CNN that the orca is “robust, showing no immediate signs of emaciation.” The group said attempts have been made to feed the calf, but it is unclear whether it has eaten anything.

“This whale’s skin has just started to slough in sizable patches along the top of the head and base of the dorsal fin on each side perhaps due to the freshwater runoff into the lagoon it is in,” according to the company.

Moving the orca calf “will require a lot of patience as well as cooperation from the whale,” according to Bay Cetology.

Rescuers are working to save an orca calf stranded in a remote lagoon on Vancouver Island, off Canada’s west coast, for nearly two weeks.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), orcas, commonly known as killer whales, are widespread across the world’s waters. They are very sociable and live in family pods of 20 or more whales. According to NOAA, calves normally stay with their moms for the first two years of their lives.

This is not the first time Canadian officials have devised a plan to rescue a solitary and trapped orca calf. In 2002, an orca calf named Springer was discovered alone in Puget Sound, prompting an elaborate capture and relocation effort. She is the first orca in history to successfully reintegrate into a wild population following human intervention.

SOURCE – (CNN)