Southern residents lose two killer whales in blow to population

One whale born in 1993 and another calf last seen emaciated are missing and presumed dead, according to the Center for Whale Research

||| FROM TIMES COLONIST |||

Two southern resident killer whales are presumed dead after multiple sightings of two endangered pods failed to turn up a 30-year-old male and a calf.

The deaths of calf L128 and male K26, also known as Lobo, come after staff with the Washington state-based Center for Whale Research failed to record the orcas during three consecutive encounters with their families. The news reduces the southern resident population to 72 and delivers a further blow to recovery efforts.

Mark Malleson, a Victoria-based field researcher with the centre, came across J Pod’s newest calf, L128, on Oct. 5. Malleson said the calf was emaciated and struggling to breathe as it approached the boat.

“It was just lifeless,” he said. “It was just awful. I could just tell it was on its last breath.”

The next day, Malleson, who is also a whale tour guide, left Victoria again looking for the calf. He found the pod, including L128’s mother. But the pod’s youngest member was nowhere to be seen.

Latest encounter turns up nothing

A little over three weeks later, Malleson got a call from a friend saying orcas had been spotted off the southern tip of Vancouver Island.

When they arrived at the shoal known as Middle Bank on Oct. 29, they confirmed the presence of 23 members from L pod and 14 orcas from K pod.

The only two missing were K26 — already missing from two previous surveys — and L128. Since then, other teams with the centre have spotted the pods but there’s been no sign of the calf.

“I knew that I wasn’t going to see it again,” said Malleson of the calf. “It’s dead.”

READ FULL ARTICLE