Beached orca in B.C. dies despite life-saving efforts

A female killer whale that beached on northern Van‐ couver Island died on Sat‐ urday despite efforts by the community to push the mammal back into the wa‐ ter.

Video of the incident, which occurred near the vil‐ lage of Zeballos on the is‐ land's northwest coast, shows dozens of people try‐ ing to save the stranded orca.

The female orca was stranded on shore in the Lit‐ tle Espinosa Inlet, about six kilometres southwest of the village, at low tide while a calf swam nearby, said Florence Bruce of the Ehattesaht First Nation.

Bruce and her fiancée, Kyle Harry, were among a dozen or so people present for the rescue effort.

"The whale was giving a really big fight before it passed away," Bruce told CBC News.

The group tried to roll the mammal onto its belly and provide it with as much water as they could for about two hours before it breathed its last, Bruce said.

"I am so sad inside. It's kind of like I lost a relative," she said.

Harry sang a prayer song for the departed orca.

"Other nations are also coming together on Face‐ book Live and singing their songs for [the orca] too," he said.

While the circumstances around the stranding remain unclear, Marine Education and Research Society (MERS) - a conservation charity based in Port McNeill - spec‐ ulates the orca may have ventured ashore during a high tide, possibly for hunting purposes.

In a social media post, the society said the area where the incident took place "is highly influenced by changes in tides."

"When the tide ebbs in this particular spot, it hap‐ pens very quickly," the soci‐ ety wrote.

The calf, which remained near its deceased mother, faces an uncertain future.

In its post, MERS said its survival depends on various factors including its age and "the family structure of these whales."

Search continues to re‐ unite baby orca with pod

Rescuers on site say they are scouring nearby waters to bring the baby back to its pod.

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Facebook post from Ju‐ dae Smith, who oversees op‐ erations and maintenance in the Nuchatlaht First Nation's fisheries department, says they are also looking for the pod of killer whales.

"We have six [boats] going out to look to bring the baby to the pod," Smith posted on Facebook Saturday.

Paul Cottrell, a marine mammal co-ordinator with Department of Fisheries and Oceans, confirmed to CBC

News that he is on the scene responding to the orca death but declined an interview, cit‐ ing network issues.

Jared Towers, the execu‐ tive director of non-profit Bay Cetology, said the dead orca was a 14 year old Bigg's killer whale, a transient orca which was likely pursuing a harbour seal when it rolled over on its side.

He said its calf remains swimming nearby as of Sun‐ day morning.

"We'll be working on a plan to to try and coax that calf out of the lagoon," he told CBC News.

"Fortunately, it's making a lot of loud calls and if it can swim out on its own at high tide ... it can continue to call and hopefully find its exten‐ ded family and be adopted."