Orca mother known for ‘tour of grief’ welcomes new calf

A baby orca has been spotted among the endangered southern resident killer whales, born to a mother who drew international attention in 2018 when she carried a dead newborn for 17 days in what became known as a “tour of grief.”

The calf, designated J65, was first spotted by researchers with the Center for Whale Research on Oct. 19, travelling with J35, also known as Tahlequah. The male calf appeared to be less than a week old. Researchers saw the pair again on Oct. 20.

“The team saw no signs of health issues in this calf,” said the centre in a social media post on Wednesday. The calf was “moving well, socializing and nursing from J35.”

Still, the early months of life are perilous for southern resident orcas. Only half of calves make it through the first year, said the center, which plans to continue monitoring the young orca.

The new calf is J35’s sixth. Her oldest calf, J47, was born in 2010. She has another son, J57, born in 2020.

J35 has also experienced significant reproductive loss. After losing a calf in 2018, J35 carried its body on her head for 17 days as she travelled through the Salish Sea in a prolonged display of apparent grief that captured worldwide attention.

She was spotted again in 2024 carrying the lifeless body of another newborn calf, J31, for 11 days.

The addition of J65 brings the southern resident population to 77, up from 76 in the latest census data from July. The latest birth comes after another southern resident, J31, was spotted earlier this month carrying a dead calf.

The population, which relies primarily on Chinook salmon for food, face several threats including dwindling food stocks, pollutants that accumulate in the environment and food chain, and disturbance fro vessel traffic and noise.