Orca mom mourns calf’s death
Apparently it is common behavior for Orcas and dolphins. Sad.
An endangered orca whale died shortly after its birth on Tuesday, and the calf's mother has been tending to the body for three days.
The calf was born near near Victoria, British Columbia, located about 75 miles northwest of Seattle. Researchers working to track Southern Resident killer whales responded to the scene, the Center for Whale Research said in a release.
The organization observed the baby's corpse sinking and the mother repeatedly bringing it back to the surface on Tuesday. The mother supported her offspring's body on her forehead as she pushed it toward an island, the organization said.
On Thursday, the mother – labeled J35 – entered her third day of mourning with her calf, Ken Balcomb, founder and principal investigator of the Center for Whale Research, told USA TODAY.
"It's still happening," he said Thursday evening. He said that he has observed the behavior before, but not for this length of time.
The organization says killer whales and dolphins show strong mother-offspring bonds and sometimes transport dead calves for up to a week.
Southern Resident killer whales are a clan of 76 orcas in imminent danger of extinction, the organization says.