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Since Tuesday, an endangered orca in Washington state has been carrying her dead newborn calf around Puget Sound. Biologists say it's the same mother whale that made international headlines in 2018 when another one of her babies died, and she carried it on her nose for 17 days. John Ryan from member station KUOW in Seattle reports.
JOHN RYAN, BYLINE: Fans of the Northwest's beloved but endangered orcas have been on an emotional roller-coaster in recent weeks. The orcas, which roam from southern Canada down to central California, have been delighting locals with one of their infrequent visits to the Seattle area. Crowds have been gathering on local beaches to see these apex predators break the surface.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Gasps) Oh.
RYAN: Adding to the joy, two baby orcas were born in December, boosting the sagging population. But by New Year's Eve, one of those babies was dead. Therapist Alyssa Griskiewicz watched the whales from a suburban beach just north of Seattle.
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ALYSSA GRISKIEWICZ: I don't want to overreact, but I was really devastated.
RYAN: She and other whale lovers see what the orca mom, known as J35, is doing as a ritual of grief.
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GRISKIEWICZ: It seems like this ritual of carrying and holding the body and moving it through her home waters is, like, a part of that process to heal and let go, but also maybe to be yet another cry for help.
RYAN: Whether it's a cry for help or not, these endangered orcas certainly need a lot of help.
BRAD HANSON: Obviously, it's a heartbreaking, tragic situation for not just her, but also for the population.
RYAN: Federal biologist Brad Hanson goes out on the water in a small research boat to keep tabs on these orcas whenever they're near Seattle.
HANSON: This particular calf was a female, and we need young, viable females that recruit into the population in order to recover it.
RYAN: Hanson says it's not known why this calf died, but more than half of these endangered orcas fail to make it to their first birthday. Researchers say threats to their survival include a lack of salmon to eat, as well as water pollution and boat noise. Washington state and federal agencies have been increasing funding to restore salmon habitat and boost the supply of prey for these orcas, but whale researchers say much more is needed to give this declining population of orcas a fighting chance.
For NPR News, I'm John Ryan in Seattle.
(SOUNDBITE OF 4FARGO SONG, "GET HER") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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