Orca calf trapped in British Columbia swims alone out of lagoon

ZEBALLOS, BC – An orca calf made its own bid for freedom Friday for a possible reunion with its family in the nearby ocean, swimming under a bridge at high tide and emerging from a remote Vancouver Island lagoon where it had been trapped for more than a month.

The orca has been the focus of intense rescue efforts since March 23, when its pregnant mother became stranded on a rocky beach near the bridge at low tide and died.

The Ehattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations say in a statement that the calf chose a “clear, calm, star-filled night” around 2:30 a.m. to swim under the bridge and down the inlet.

“I’m very happy,” Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John said in an interview Friday. “It’s a time to basically be happy and I think it’s a really good time.”

The orca calf, about two years old, was seen jumping and playing near the end of the lagoon bridge for much of Thursday afternoon, but only a few people were there to witness its escape as it swam under the bridge. , said. .

“My daughter Ashley was there,” John said. “She was really happy. It was about three in the morning when she crossed to the other side and they went to look for her on the other side of the zodiac.”

The calf that First Nations called kwiisahi?is, or Brave Little Hunter, began eating seal meat provided by the nation last week, giving rescuers hope they could lure the young orca to follow a trail of food outside the lagoon.

A large rescue team made up of Indigenous leaders, Department of Fisheries marine mammal experts, Vancouver Aquarium veterinarians, commercial fishermen, divers and drone operators abruptly stopped a planned capture rescue last Friday when the orca began eating meat of seal that they threw at him. She was also seen fishing for herring in the lagoon.

The team planned to launch their second attempt to capture the calf with a large net and then place it in a sling for transport in a specially equipped vehicle to the ocean, where it could be released and potentially reunited with its extended family.

“I think she’s very healthy,” John said. “There are many images of her being happy in the bridge area.”

The nations statement says rescue team members are “ecstatic” that the two-year-old orca was moving from Little Espinosa Inlet toward Esperanza Inlet, which leads to the open ocean.

“She will be encouraged to go out into the open sea, where her family will hopefully hear the calls of the brave little hunter,” Ehattesaht’s statement said. “Today, the Zeballos community and people everywhere are waking up to incredible news and what can only be described as pride in the strength this little orca has shown.”

Zeballos, located more than 450 kilometers northwest of Victoria, is a remote community of about 200 people.

The statement said the rescue has now entered a new phase and that patrols and protective measures will be taken in the area to ensure the young orca does not come into contact with boats or people.

“With this part of the challenge resolved by the Kwiisahi?is herself, every opportunity must be provided to have her back with her family with as little human interaction as possible,” Ehattesaht said.

Department of Fisheries marine mammal experts and independent whale scientists have said the chances of the young orca surviving in the open sea and reuniting with its family members are good.

John said the recordings of the orca’s songs while they were in the lagoon were heartbreaking.

“Ehattesaht and indigenous peoples across Canada are writing new stories in these modern times that reinforce the presence of a deep connection between the spirit world, the animal world and the people who have remained on the land and waters forever” , says the statement. “Events like these have a deeper meaning and generations to come will think, talk and feel the moment of their departure.”

John said the orca’s departure from the lagoon is personally bittersweet as it comes on the anniversary of his daughter Kayla’s violent death 20 years ago.

“Really, for me, today is the anniversary of my daughter’s death, so I’m trying to support myself currently,” he said. “It has been a difficult process for me, since the whale issue comes today after 20 years. It’s something meaningful to me. No one has to own it but me.”

– By Dirk Meissner in Victoria

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2024.