Luna Turns 5 On September 19th

Saturday, September 18, 2004
GOLD RIVER, BC - Luna (also known as L98 or Tsu-xiit) will turn five-years-old on September 19, 2004. He will be spending his birthday away from his family for the fourth time. The solitary orca has been separated from his pod for over three years. He currently lives in Nootka Sound, approximately 200 km north of his family's summer range.

Luna is a member of the L Pod, one of three pods that comprise the Southern Resident orca community. The day of his birth is recalled vividly by Orca Network’s Susan Berta, who, with orca scientist Ken Balcomb, first observed the infant Luna with his mum:

“We are as sure as you can be that he was born that day as we and Ken were the first to see L67 with her new calf. The Center (for Whale Research) received a call that a lone female orca was heading north up the west side of San Juan Island toward the Center - they saw her breach a time or two. When she swam by the Center, Ken realized it was L67. She was just swimming along normally, except that she was alone, and then we noticed this little fin trailing along behind her! It's because of this that I have NO doubts that Luna is L67's calf. It was later that day that Luna began to spend some time with K pod, for a week or so, but then also spent time with his Mom, and when they returned the next summer he swam along side his mom like a normal calf.”

Luna’s Southern Resident orca community is listed as endangered in Canada and in Washington State. Today their numbers stand at just 83. Yesterday, US Senator Maria Cantwell announced another $1.5 million (US) to aid continued Orca Recovery Research.

Resident orcas are among the most social beings on the planet. Individuals spend their entire lives within the family (“matriline”) to which they are born. Luna’s voice clearly identifies him as a member of the “L2” matriline, named after his grandmother.

Over the past few months, Luna has had unfortunate encounters with boats, and has disabled several of them. Fortunately, the Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) have agreed to establish a monitoring presence on the waters of Nootka Sound aimed at keeping boats away from Luna and assisting boaters in trouble. This is recognized as a great first step. However, more funding is needed to ensure that this monitoring occurs full-time during the remainder of the fall recreational boating and commercial fishing seasons in Nootka Sound.

Meanwhile, momentum is building towards developing a plan that would see another attempt to reunite Luna his pod in late fall or early winter of this year.

Most years, Luna’s family leaves their summer home around the San Juan Islands and Victoria in the autumn, and heads “out”. Their exact pattern of movement thereafter is not known, but there is a reasonable chance they will head north and pass Nootka Sound. If they do so, Luna could hear them. Scientists fully expect that if Luna and members of his family hear one another, they will reunite. A natural reunion, such as this, was attempted this spring/early summer. However Luna’s pod was never spotted close enough to Nootka Sound to make it work. The upcoming fall/winter season offers another chance.

One great advantage of attempting a natural reunion in the fall is that L Pod could be tracked as they leave their summer waters. If they come near Nootka Sound, and Luna happens to be outside acoustical range of the open ocean, he could be led by boat or canoe closer to the “mouth” of the Sound in order to make contact.

Numerous non governmental organizations involved with Luna hope that efforts will be put into achieving a natural reunion for Luna this fall. If that happens, by this time next year, Luna will be spending his sixth birthday with his pod.

For More Information: