Grieving Orca Carries Deceased Calf For 17 Days
August 10, 2018
Update - 9/18/2018: Scarlet (J50), the Southern Resident orca whose deteriorating health was mentioned in this article, is now presumed dead. Ken Balcomb, director of the Center for Whale Research, said "The message brought by J50, and by J35 and her dead calf a few weeks ago, is that the southern resident killer whales are running out of reproductive capacity and extinction of this population is looming," and noted that, "while the humans convene task forces and conference calls that result in nothing, or worse than nothing, diverting attention and resources from solving the underlying ecological problems that will ultimately make this once-productive region unlivable for all." We agree with this sentiment because as research goes on, much of it showing what we already know, these whales are dying. The solutions to address the crisis facing the Southern Resident orcas are actually known and many of them are listed at the bottom of this page. It's the same type of situation with North Atlantic and North Pacific right whales, the latter of which live fairly close to the Southern Resident orcas. The solutions to prevent their deaths are known, there just isn't the political will to do so yet which is why we work to directly inform our fellow citizens of what is going on so they can take action in their own lives to stop contributing to the deaths of these whales. The Seattle Times has a great article on Scarlet and the Dolphin Project has a great write-up as well. We hope you'll join us in remembering her and in honoring her by making sure that we stop contributing to the deaths of these whales and do what we can to help them.
Tahlequah (J35) pushing her deceased calf through the water.
Photo credit: Michael Weiss, Center for Whale Research
A member of the highly endangered J pod of Southern Resident orcas named Tahlequah - known to researchers as J35 - carried the body of her deceased calf for 17 days, travelling 1,000 miles. Her calf was born on July 24th and was seen swimming next to her mother but by the time a research team got to their location that day, they found that the calf had died. The deceased calf kept sinking and her mother kept pushing her above water, carrying her as she swam. Ken Balcomb, a senior scientist with the Center for Whale Research in San Juan Island, Washington, said the mother whale probably began pushing the calf to the surface to help it breathe. Members of her group, J pod, stayed close as Tahlequah grieved for her calf, even taking turns carrying the calf. She was regularly seen with the calf but when she was sighted on August 11th, it was confirmed that she was not carrying the calf anymore. Researchers will most likely not be able to find the calf as it has probably sunk and had already decomposed significantly so the exact cause of death will likely remain unknown.
The loss of her calf and the grief these orcas are going through is unfortunately another tragedy in what has become a long list of struggles for these whales. Nearly 75% of newborn orcas in the past two decades - following designation of the Southern Resident orca population as “Endangered” - have not survived, and 100% of the pregnancies in the past three years have failed to produce viable offspring. Research has shown that a lack of proper nutrition, combined with other factors, is limiting the success of pregnancies in the population. One of three orcas born in 2015, and one of the two born that year from J pod - Scarlet (J50), is currently in very bad shape and there is a rescue effort being mounted to get her the help that she desperately needs.
The love and dedication these whales have for their fellow whales and for their young is incredible. They feel such immense pain and express it in a way that clearly shows us how badly they are suffering. It is clear that humans are the cause of this pain and the threats they face aren't just bad for their species, they are indicative of a much larger problem. Many of the same things that harm these orcas are also threatening North Pacific right whales such as increased ship traffic, oil pipelines and chemical pollution. There are only 75 Southern Resident orcas left and it is long past time that we protect them properly. Orcas, North Pacific right whales, North Atlantic right whales and all other whale species deserve to live in a quiet, clean ocean just as they used to before humans began unnaturally, carelessly and brutally destroying it for our own short-term gains. The governor of Washington state has launched a task force focused on orcas and in Canada the government has added more funding for research on the threats that orcas face but the research is mostly redundant. We already know what is harming them and what we must do in order to help them and they are quite literally dying while this research goes on. Unfortunately, as knowledgeable and passionate as many researchers are, there appears to be a pervasive idea among them and among governments that more research will automatically save whales but this will only happen if governments actually use the findings of such research to craft sensible policies designed to protect whales.
It's been known for years that noise pollution, chemical pollution and increased ship traffic is deadly to whales yet dangerous projects like new oil pipelines, such as the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion, are still approved. The Seattle Times reported that "Canada’s National Energy Board stated in its approval in May 2016 that the pipeline expansion “would likely result in significant adverse effects to the Southern resident killer whale" yet they are still going ahead with the project. Thankfully a federal court in Canada has revoked the approval for the pipeline and ordered the government to review the project again but the battle is far from over. This pipeline expansion will be devastating to orcas and will also affect North Pacific right whales who live off the west coast of Canada and are attempting to come back after centuries of whaling decimated their population. There used to be at least 10,000 and likely many more North Pacific right whales but today they only number around 30 and there have only been three sightings of North Pacific right whales in Canadian waters since 1951 but two of them occurred in the past five years with the latest sighting occurring in June of 2018 when a Coast Guard crew photographed a young North Pacific right whale breaching off the west coast of Haida Gwaii. This area used to have significant numbers of these whales but sadly, we only know this because of whaling records that show us how many were killed there from 1785 to 1913. It appears that the new generation of North Pacific right whales could be returning there, making it all the more important to protect.
The New York Times reported that orcas "carry some of the highest levels of pollution of any marine animal". They further stated that, "Of most concern are the lingering effects of chemicals and pesticides, including the now banned DDT, as well as PCBs and PBDE, widely used in flame retardants and found through the world. The pollutants accumulate in salmon as they feed, and when the whales eat salmon they also ingest PCBs at even higher levels. "It’s very lipophilic, which means it stays in the fat, and the females transfer a huge proportion of the contaminant burden to their offspring,” Dr. Hanson said. “About 85 percent gets transferred to calves through lactation." And while much of the pollution is from the region’s industrial past, Boeing disclosed this spring that over the past five years it had discharged highly toxic PCBs into the Duwamish River, which flows into Puget Sound, thousands of times over the legal limit. These toxins suppress the whales’ immune systems, making them more susceptible to disease. They can also impede reproduction. That may be why tests show a high number of females who have become pregnant have failed to calve." It's very possible that the high levels of chemicals in orcas could have been at least a factor in the death of Tahlequah's calf and at any rate, chemical pollution is a serious threat to them and all other whales. The NOAA's 5-year review of North Atlantic right whales released in 2017 stated, "There is evidence that some contaminants, particularly those in flame retardants (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), detergents and pesticides (alkylphenol ethoxylates), disrupt endocrine pathways and reproduction in animals." The report also noted that a 2010 study "analyzed blubber samples taken from five North Atlantic right whales that stranded along the eastern U.S. and Canada, and detected the presence of organochlorines, PCB's, and brominated flame retardants in all five samples."
Those of you following the struggle of J35 and her pod are here on a site like ours, learning more about what has happened to her and to orcas in general because you're upset by what's going on. There's a sense of duty to keep documenting what is happening and let those around us know what is going on because we know these whales are suffering and that it's not right. There is also an understanding among many people that something this serious and tragic cannot be forgotten and connects to the struggles of other species and to the many terrible things happening to them at the hands of humans. Many are finally realizing that humans should no longer contribute to their suffering and seeing the dedication of Tahlequah to her calf has saddened so many of us but has also connected us more to these whales and to other species. It's inspired us to keep fighting and make sure that the solutions are available for all to see so that that our fellow citizens can find out what they can do to help in their own lives and also demand that our governments act quickly to put in place the proper solutions to protect them.
Watercolor painting depicting Tahlequah and her calf
Artist: Lori Christopher
We call on the Canadian and American governments to implement the following solutions:
1. Remove the four lower dams on the Snake River so that the Chinook salmon can get to these orcas.
2. Cancel all plans for new oil pipelines, some of which are designed to carry oil from Canada to foreign markets in Asia. The increased tanker traffic would be horrific for these whales as it would significantly raise the level of dangerous noise pollution and the risk of ship strikes. In addition, the burning of bitumen oil is particularly damaging to the our planet and would be very difficult to clean up if spilled.
3. Make further reductions to the Chinook salmon quota and reduce quotas in Alaskan and Canadian fisheries to let populations of these fish recover, provide more food for the orcas and reduce the chances of entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes.
Ways to Help:
1. Reduce energy consumption as much as possible in order to reduce our need for fossil fuels and hydroelectric power. When we reduce our energy use, solar and wind projects become much more feasible on the local, municipal and state levels - especially with wind and solar becoming more efficient and able to generate more power in a smaller space with less turbines and panels, further reducing costs. Switching to LED light bulbs is a perfect place to start. They don't contain mercury like fluorescents do, they last longer than both incandescents and fluorescents and they use very little energy. Switching off any unnecessary lights is also key, even if they are LED bulbs.
2. Making sure your home is properly insulated and your thermostat is set to a reasonable level is also a great way to lower electricity and natural gas usage. The US Department of Energy has some great tips on how to save energy in warmer months and in cooler months.
3. When looking for new appliances make sure to get ones that are Energy Star rated and are built well, preferably in America so that container ships don't have to be used to bring the item across the ocean, further endangering whales and other life in the ocean.
4. Refrain from using pesticides and fertilizers on your lawn as these are extremely damaging to the oceans. Pesticides are toxic to marine life and fertilizers encourage the growth of plants that deplete oxygen. Avoiding as many chemicals as possible, outside and inside your home, is best in order to protect all species of whales as many don't get filtered out during sewage treatment.
5. We encourage you to check out our Action section that lists many ways you can help whales in your daily life. Many things humans do are harmful to whales, some of which we might not even realize at first. For example, even switching to washable hand towels instead of using paper towels to dry our hands can help protect whales as pulp and paper mills are a source of chemicals such as dioxins and furans which are extremely toxic to marine life. All of our actions that help whales can really add up and help them on many fronts, from reducing the risk of entanglements in fishing gear to reducing ship strikes to reducing the amount of chemicals in the ocean. We also encourage you to check out the page Updates on Southern Resident Killer Whales J50 and J35 as it contains more information on these two orcas and important information such as phone numbers for rescue centers in case you ever see a whale in distress.
Source: Another newborn orca dies - Center for Whale Research
Further Information:
This orca mother has been holding her dead calf afloat for days - CBC Radio
Orca mother carries dead calf for sixth day as family stays close by - Seattle Times
Wild Orca
B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network: Contaminants in Orcas
