Mother orca still pushing body of dead calf off Vancouver Island, 10 days after death

In this photo provided by NOAA Fisheries, the orca known as J35 (Tahlequah) carries the carcass of her dead calf in the waters of Puget Sound off West Seattle, Wash., on Jan. 1. The calf died more than two weeks ago but the mother whale has been spotted still carrying the carcass in waters just off Victoria. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Candice Emmons/NOAA Fisheries

VICTORIA — A mother killer whale whose calf died more than two weeks ago has recently been spotted still carrying the newborn’s carcass in waters off Victoria.

The Center for Whale Research says in a Facebook post on Thursday that the mother, known as J35 or Tahlequah, was seen pushing the remains on Jan. 10 between Vancouver Island and San Juan Island in Washington state.

The centre says observers “were not seeing much of the carcass” and it appeared as if the mother was trying to keep the body from sinking.

The calf was reported to have died around New Year’s Eve and the mother was seen pushing the remains, just as she had done in 2018 when she carried a calf’s body for 17 days.

Researchers have said the behaviour is an apparent act of grief, and that J35 has now lost two of her four documented calves.

The centre based in Washington state says another newborn that was first observed on Dec. 30 was spotted again on Jan. 10 and “appeared healthy.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2025.

The Canadian Press