Tahlequah’s new calf, right, is confirmed to be a male. The baby was seen playing and frolicking Tuesday evening at Point Roberts, Whatcom County.
Another new orca baby has been born to J pod, the Center for Whale Research confirmed Friday morning. It's the second calf born this month for the endangered southern resident orcas that frequent Puget Sound.
"We confirm that there is a new calf in J pod and the mother is J41," Ken Balcomb, the founding director of the center, wrote in a text message to The Seattle Times on Friday morning.
"We have to await the whales' return to determine its health condition and hopefully determine its success. It is important to note that the observation was in Canada and we could not be there due to covid restrictions."
Center observer Mark Malleson caught up with the whales near Sheringham, British Columbia, Balcomb wrote. The whales were very spread out, foraging, and could not be located before dark.
J35, the mother orca also known as Tahlequah, gave birth to a male calf on Sept. 4. Mother and baby were seen this week romping and feeding. Tahlequah raised worldwide concern in 2018 when her calf died shortly after birth and she carried it for 17 days and more than 1,000 miles.
This is the fourth birth to the southern residents since 2019. In such a small population, every calf is celebrated. There are now 74 southern residents in the J, K, and L pods.
The orcas face three main threats to their survival: boat noise and vessel disturbance; pollution; and lack of food, especially Chinook salmon, their main diet particularly in summer.
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