Stranded killer whale eludes attempted rescue
The team trying to rescue an orphaned killer whale trapped in a British Columbia lagoon says they will have to change tactics after being “truly humbled at the intelligence, adaptability and resilience” of the calf that managed to evade capture Friday.
A statement issued by the Ehattesaht First Nation chief and council and the rescue team said they made the decision to stand down after the young orca “simply decided she was not ready to be moved.”
It said experts and veterinary staff from the Vancouver Aquarium were able to get a good look at the young female during the capture attempt and say she still appears to be in good health, that her breathing is solid and she is swimming well.
The statement said the team would regroup after this initial attempt and start planning next steps. Rescuers had been trying to corral her into a shallow part of the three-kilometre lagoon, using boats, divers and a net, so she could be placed in a large fabric sling and hoisted onto a transport vehicle and taken to the open ocean.
The two-year-old calf has been alone in Little Espinosa Inlet, 450 kilometres northwest of Victoria, for about three weeks after its pregnant mother was beached at low tide and died on March 23.
Paul Cottrell, Fisheries Department marine mammal co-ordinator, said at the rescue site that the outcome was disappointing after a “huge effort.”
He said the rescue attempt had been promising but the whale was “definitely catching on to our tried and true (strategy).”
He said rescuers had attempted to isolate the calf from deep water using a long seine net and rescuers came very close to success.
“We’re kind of looking at other options now going forward, realizing that this animal is very smart,” Cottrell said. “It’s adapting to our tactics and we’re gonna try a different tactic going forward.”
He said the team remained optimistic,