2 Plans For Reuniting Luna

Thursday, May 6, 2004
VICTORIA, BC - Luna the lonely orca will be temporarily confined in a net pen in Pedder Bay near here if an attempt fails to reunite him with his pod at the entrance to Nootka Sound.

An attempt will be made to lead the whale out of the sound just as his pod is passing by, but even the most optimistic supporters of that approach know it is unlikely to succeed.

The killer whale pod, which spends its summers in Washington state's San Juan Islands, covers tremendous distances. Luna's pod is not usually seen in the waters off Nootka Sound, an inlet about 140 miles northwest of Victoria on Vancouver Island's west coast.

"Leading him out into the open water would be best for everyone, and especially for Luna, but the chances are pretty remote," said Ed Thorburn, a field supervisor with the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

If that plan fails, the 4-year-old orca will probably be packed into a sling in a tank on a huge truck and, with police escorts and a contingent of veterinarians and scientists, be hauled to Pedder Bay.

Vancouver Aquarium workers have been doing practice runs this week, said Marilyn Joyce, the federal department's marine mammal coordinator.

About 75 pounds of live fish will be piped into the net pen each day so Luna does not get used to receiving food from humans.

The next step will depend on the whales. "We wait for L Pod to swim by and hope they make contact," Joyce said.

The aim is to have the relocation plan ready to go between mid-May and the beginning of June, but everything rests on the Vancouver Aquarium raising enough money.

Although officials once considered releasing Luna in the San Juan Islands if a reunion attempt fails, they have now determined Pedder Bay is the best environment for him, said spokeswoman Lara Sloan with the Vancouver office of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Luna, or L98, appeared in Nootka Sound, an inlet off Vancouver Island's west coast, more than two years ago after separating from his U.S. pod.

He has managed to feed himself but has also taken to socializing with people, cosying up to boats and nuzzling seaplanes.

Aquarium president John Nightingale said about $160,000 must be raised in cash and $51,000 in donated goods and services for the operation to proceed. That's on top of $95,000 from the Canadian government and $100,000 from the U.S. government.

But fund-raising is going slowly.

"If we don't have it by May 15 or 20 it will put a real crimp in things," Nightingale said. "It would stop it."

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