Researchers Wonder If Newborn Orca
Calf Has Died

Wednesday, August 16, 2006
FRIDAY HARBOR, WASHINGTON - Researchers who spotted a newborn in one of three endangered groups of orcas that frequent Puget Sound are now wondering if the calf has died.

The baby whale, with the distinct orange coloring of a newborn, was spotted swimming with K Pod in Haro Straight off the west side of San Juan Island on Sunday.

The following day, researchers observed K Pod for hours but did not see the baby. On Tuesday, none of the K Pod members were seen.

Kelley Balcomb-Bartok of the Center for Whale Research said the calf may have gone off with another female in the pod, or it may have died.

"I literally wanted to pass out cigars on Sunday," he said. "Now I don't know."

Balcomb-Bartok said it wouldn't be unusual for an orca pod to wander farther west seeking food. When the whales encounter incoming schools of salmon, he said, they often follow them, swimming toward inland streams.

Nevertheless, Balcomb-Bartok said Wednesday that the center's staff will remain concerned until they know what happened to the newborn. "At this point we're still very interested in getting any reports people have about the whereabouts of the animal," he said.

It was clear from observations on Sunday that the calf belonged to K-22, a 19-year-old female named Sekiu, Balcomb-Bartok said. The two were swimming with Sekiu's first calf, 5-year-old K-33, or Tika, while the rest of the pod was about three miles ahead.

The newborn appeared normal on Sunday. Balcomb-Bartok said the whale's grandmother, K-12 or Sequim, was with the main pod, meaning the grandmother was either unconcerned about the calf's health or did not yet know about the birth, which probably took place on Sunday.

Orcas are about 8 feet long when born and weigh about 400 pounds. They know how to swim at birth and are nourished with milk from their mother. The white parts of the black-and-white orcas are flushed with an orange coloration, and observers often see "fetal folds" before the skin stretches tight.

The newborn has been designated K-41 and will keep that number even if it is never seen again, Balcomb-Bartok said.

The "southern resident" orca population, which frequents Puget Sound and nearby waters, is believed to have numbered 140 or more in the last century. It has suffered several major periods of decline since the 1960s, when the whales were caught for aquariums.

The population rebounded to 97 in the 1990s, then declined to 79 in 2001. When K-41 was spotted, the southern resident population increased to 90 for the first time since 1997.

The federal government listed the southern resident orcas as an endangered species in November 2005, giving them the highest level of protection available under the law. The designation targets pollution and other factors that have contributed to the whales' decline.

Source: Komo TV