Whale That Dragged Her Dead Calf 2 Years Ago Is A Mom Again After Giving Birth To A Healthy Baby Orca

Two years ago, a mother orca (killer whale) had the world¡¯s attention and left many teary-eyed when it was found that she had been dragging the body of her dead calf with her for 17 days.

The news of her pregnancy this year made many happy but left some apprehensive as well. However, Tahlequah, or J35 as researchers address her, recently gave birth to a baby orca.

¡°I definitely cried," whale watch captain Sarah McCullagh with San Juan Safaris said in a press release from the Pacific Whale Watch Association as reported by Kuow.

KATIE JONES, CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH

Reportedly McCullagh was the first person to see the new whale, by its mother¡¯s side.

She radioed the Center for Whale Research¡¯s boat to get a better look and the researchers confirmed that it was the celebrity mom¡¯s new calf.

¡°It¡¯s a bit of a nail-biter right now. I can¡¯t help but be thrilled that she had this baby and this baby didn¡¯t die right away. Everybody is worried and on pins and needles, wondering if this calf is going to make it,¡± The New York Times quoted Dr. Deborah Giles, a whale researcher at the University of Washington¡¯s Center for Conservation Biology as saying.

Also Read: Drone Footage Captures Mother Humpback Whale Protecting Calf From Pod Of Killer Whales

KATIE JONES, CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH

¡®J35's new calf appeared healthy and precocious, swimming vigorously alongside its mother in its second day of free-swimming life,¡¯ the Center for Whale Research stated in a press release.

The new calf has been listed as J57.

It is a great news that the orca¡¯s baby is ¡®healthy¡¯ because the plight of the mother concerned many when she carried her stillborn in 2018 with her for 17 days.

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Tahlequah is part of the endangered southern resident orca population that is known to frequent the Salish Sea, near British Columbia and Washington State.

Southern resident population of orcas is at a low of 73. So, the birth of J57 is welcome news for the orca population as well.