Six years after mourning the loss of her first child, the orca named Tahlequah has recently become a mother again. The cetacean had moved the whole world by refusing to leave the lifeless body of its young for 17 days.
On December 23, researchers from the Center for Whale Research (CWR) wanted to get to the heart of it. They have just been informed of the arrival of a new calf among a group of orcas in the Puget Sound region, located in the Pacific Northwest, near Washington State in the United States.
Their observations allowed them to confirm that a little calf had indeed been born recently, but it was the identification of its mother that sparked enormous enthusiasm. This was Tahlequah, which they also call J35. By photographing the calf's underside, scientists were able to establish that the baby was a female, which they named J61.
Crédit photo : Center for Whale Research
Tahlequah became known in 2018 for her maternal despair by refusing to give in to abandoning her baby's lifeless body for 17 days, over a distance of 1,000 miles.
A happy birth but a threatened existence
The birth of a new orca is considered great news because this species is one of the most critically endangered marine mammals in the United States.
“Every birth counts and these whales need enough fish (especially salmon) to meet their needs and those of their young”
Crédit photo :Center for Whale Research
On the other hand, if the existence of a new calf delights researchers, its state of health worries them due to the behavior of the tandem.
“The start of life is always dangerous for new calves, with a very high mortality rate during the first year. The calf was also observed being pushed onto J35's head and did not appear lively, which is concerning”.
Crédit photo :Center for Whale Research
However, researchers believe that the Tahlequah orca is an experienced mother, having given birth to J57 in 2020, and that she will do what is necessary to keep her calf alive.
