A second attempt to rescue an orphaned killer whale calf stranded in a remote British Columbia lagoon will not take place on Saturday after an initial effort to capture the young orca failed a day earlier.
An administrator working with the Ehattesaht First Nation on the whale rescue attempt said the team is regrouping and planning its next effort to save the young orca, but said there is currently no date set for the next operation.
Rescuers said the orca evaded capture during Friday’s initial attempt to corral her into the shallows of the lagoon with a net, place her in a sling and carry her to open waters.
Fisheries Department marine mammal co-ordinator Paul Cottrell said there was a huge effort to catch the calf but she’s “very smart” and they have to rethink their strategies.
He said rescuers, including members of the Ehattesaht First Nation, Vancouver Aquarium staff and other experts, aren’t giving up and remain optimistic. They note the calf is still in good health and swimming well.
The two-year-old whale has been alone in Little Espinosa Inlet, more than 450 kilometres northwest of Victoria, for three weeks since its pregnant mother was beached at low tide and died on March 23.
The two whales entered the lagoon last month by swimming through a narrow and fast-moving channel connecting it to the ocean.
Efforts to persuade the calf to swim back through the shallow channel proved futile.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2024.
SEE PREVIOUS
- APRIL 12: ‘Very smart’ B.C. orca calf evades rescuers, forcing switch in tactics
- APRIL 11: Tiny B.C. town rallies around killer whale calf rescue effort as time ticks away
- APRIL 10: Plan to lift B.C. orca calf out of remote lagoon still in the works
- APRIL 9: Trapped B.C. orca calf’s skin whitening, no sign of emaciation: Fisheries Department
- APRIL 5: Drone images show trapped B.C. orca calf is healthy female, Fisheries Department says
- APRIL 4: Plans to lift a B.C. orca calf out of remote lagoon aim for two-week timeline
- APRIL 3: Rescuers plan helicopter airlift of orca calf stranded in B.C. lagoon
- APRIL 2: Stranded orca calf remains in B.C. lagoon, breaching at regular intervals
- APRIL 1: Rescuers hope AI will help reunite orphaned whale with its family in B.C.
- MARCH 30: Low tide pauses efforts to save B.C. orca while rescuers plan next steps
- MARCH 29: Fisheries officials monitoring orphaned orca calf in lagoon off Vancouver Island
- MARCH 28: Killer whale rescue team puts boats back in lagoon in effort to entice calf to ocean
- MARCH 27: B.C. orca calf rescue team considers changing tactics to save stranded whale: DFO
- MARCH 26: DFO response team still trying to save orca calf near Zeballos
- MARCH 25: Baby calf still stranded near Zeballos; mother was pregnant when she died
- MARCH 24: Whale researchers and First Nations have hope for orca calf near Zeballos
- MARCH 23: ‘Really sad’: Hundreds tried to help orca that died on beach on Vancouver Island