PUGET SOUND — You may remember orca mother, known as Tahlequah or J35, who carried her dead calf with her for 17 days in 2018 in a sign of grief.
Sadly, the orca mother was recently seen carrying her newly deceased calf in Puget Sound off the coast of western Washington.
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 Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (Candice Emmons/NOAA Fisheries via AP)
The Center for Whale Research wrote on Facebook, “The death of any calf in the SRKW population is a tremendous loss, but the death of J61 is particularly devastating, not just because she was a female, who could have one day potentially led her own matriline but also given the history of her mother J35 who has now lost two out of four documented calves – both of which were female. The entire team at the Center for Whale Research is deeply saddened by this news and we will continue to provide updates when we can.”
According to the Center, “Calf mortality is high, with one in five dying during their first year of life.”
