Good News: Orca Who Once Carried Her Dead Calf for 17 Days, Pregnant Again

A new hope is in sight for a once anguished orca.

Two years ago, the world watched with a heavy heart as a grief-stricken killer whale mother named Tahlequah mourned her newborn calf's loss as she carried its dead body for 17 days. Tahlequah carried her dead calf for more than 1000 miles for 17 days, an expert said. It may be her way of grieving: she refused to let go and let the body sink even if it was at a decomposition stage.

The excellent news is that Tahlequah is expecting again, SR3 announced. SR3 or the sea life response, rehab, and research group, is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the welfare and health of marine wildlife.

A number of pregnant whales have been identified in all 3 Southern Resident pods. It's critical that they are given plenty of space during this important time. https://t.co/3Z281G79aK pic.twitter.com/mUo4KnWWZE — SR3 (@SR3Sealife) July 26, 2020

Researchers say Tahlequah is not the only one pregnant. Based on drone photos, several pregnant whales were also identified by the researchers.

The orca population is a large extended family made up of three groups called pods. These pods reside in the Pacific Northwest Coasts of the United States and Canada. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there are only 73 whales in this particular population.

Since there are relatively few whales on this particular population, news on pregnancy boom is promising. Marine wildlife experts are not keeping much of their hope up, however. Many southern resident pregnancies had premature births, which experts attribute to poor nutrition and lack of prey.

SR3 urged Southern Residents plenty of space to forage at this crucial time. "With such a small population ... every successful birth is hugely important for recovery."

Mothers give birth three to ten years, and pregnancy takes 17 months. They give birth one baby at a time and nurse it up to two years.

What happened to the Chinook Salmon?

Unlike other whales, killer whales are specialized in hunting salmon, exclusively the Chinook salmon. However, Chinook salmon are threatened in Puget Sound, where resident orcas spend several months of the summer and fall.

Chinook salmon, the exclusive diet of killer whales, are in critically short supply, which has caused nutritional problems among orcas, especially the pregnant ones.

Also called King Salmon, this was one of the most common large fishes in the region. Chinook salmon are native to the north Pacific Ocean. It has also established populations in other places like New Zealand, Chile, and other places, mostly due to getting away from aquaculture facilities.

It could reach up to 5 feet and weigh 120 pounds, the largest of the Pacific Salmons. Chinook Salmon is an essential food for rare marine animals like the stellar sea lion and the killer whale. These salmons are also essential nutrients and food for species that thrive in their spawning grounds, such as bears, birds, and wolves.

Even trees in Pacific rivers rely on dead Chinook Salmons and other salmons for vital nutrients. It is also an essential fishery species that large boats target these species in large numbers. As they migrate towards the spawning grounds, Chinook Salmons are targeted by small scale fishers that have relied on salmon runs for since time immemorial.

Critically Endangered Status

Overfishing, climate change, and dam construction drove Chinook salmon to its critically endangered status or even at the brink of extinction. As salmons travel from the oceans to upstream rivers to breed and lay eggs, construction of dams prevent these species from reaching its preferred spawning grounds to the detriment of its population.