Pregnancy May Have Killed Dead Orca Washed Ashore in Vancouver

Orcas may be one of the world's most powerful predators, but even its strength couldn't save one killer whale against the full-term fetus it was carrying. Pregnancy, it seems, may have killed 18-year-old orca J-32, who washed ashore in Vancouver on Thursday.

Nicknamed Rhapsody, orca J-32 was a member of the J-pod, one of three families of southern resident killer whales that swim in Washington's Puget Sound and inland waters off the Canadian coast.

Scientists with the Victoria Marine Science Association (VMSA) investigating the pregnant whale's tragic passing suspect that the fetus is was carrying died, leading to a fatal infection that caused, or at least significantly contributed to, the mother's death.

"Based on historical information and clinical observations, the whale's death may have arisen from pregnancy or complications of birth," Stephen Raverty, a veterinary pathologist who led the necropsy, told The Associated Press (AP).

The whale's "belly looks low and extended, and it could be that the fetus died in utero," added Ken Balcomb, a senior scientist with the Center for Whale Research.

Rhapsody's death comes as yet another blow to the endangered population of Puget Sound orcas, who now number at a mere 77 whales and are continuing to decline.

Puget Orcas in Trouble

In October, the first calf born to this endangered pod in the last two years was presumed dead just seven weeks after its birth. It's been three years since the J-pod produced a baby that survived more than a year, KING 5 News noted. Not to mention that two additional whales were confirmed missing and presumed dead earlier this year. (Scroll to read on...)

Decades ago more than 140 of these marine mammals roamed Washington and Canadian waters, but fishermen captured these animals to make them displays of aquariums and marine parks. Starting in the late 1960s, the NOAA says, live-capture fisheries caught some 47 southern resident whales, catapulting the species towards its current dismal state, with the population falling another 30 percent by 1971.

That, combined with lack of food, ship strikes, and low birth and survival rates has prevented this group from recovering.

Along with determining the cause of Rhapsody's death, scientists plan to take tissue samples and examine her organs to track diseases and other issues that may shed light on the population as a whole.

"We cannot express how tragic this loss is for this struggling, precariously small, family of resident orcas of the Salish Sea," the group Orca Network said in a statement.

A member of a local tribe even came by to give an indigenous blessing over the whale and her unborn child.

Teeth Robbery

Though, while some find the death of J-32 - one of only 17-18 reproductive females in the entire Puget Sound population - heartbreaking, others are not taking the loss quite as seriously.

Appallingly, after Rhapsody was moved to a boat launch Friday evening where the carcass was set to undergo a post-mortem examination, officials came to find several of her teeth removed by morning.

"It looks like they broke off a couple, and there were a number that were sawed off, and those were cut off right to the gum," Paul Cottrell, the Pacific marine mammals co-ordinator for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, told The Canadian Press.

Officials have launched a full investigation into the defiling act, for which the perpetrators could receive a fine of $250,000 and up to five years in prison. The federal Species At Risk act makes it illegal to possess part of an endangered or threatened animal.

"It's just a senseless, illegal act," Cottrell added. "We take this kind of thing seriously. We don't want endangered species parts being traded or sold."

So while the news of Rhapsody's death is significant in itself, the fact of her missing teeth just adds salt on the wound.

Results of Rhapsody's necropsy are expected in four to six weeks, after which her remains will be donated to the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, British Columbia.

For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).