Orca beaches near Zeballos, dies hours later despite rescue efforts
An orca beached near Zeballos on Saturday morning has died.
In a widely shared video of the incident, a dozen people were seen mounting a rescue effort for the beached female orca near the Zeballos causeway while her calf swam nearby.
The Marine Education and Research Society said the female, believed to be a Bigg’s killer whale, died despite best efforts.
“The incoming tide and inability to refloat her so she was not on her side, led to her death,” the Port McNeill-based marine conservation society said on social media.
Paul Cottrell, Department of Fisheries and Oceans marine mammal co-ordinator, said the incident was reported on Saturday about 8:30 a.m. and that the whale’s death occurred about an hour later. A team is on the way to identify the whale, he said, adding that this is DFO’s first report of a beached orca in 2024.
DFO is working on getting the “best outcome possible” for the orca calf and is working with local First Nations with the response, he said.
The Marine Education and Research Society said the calf remained nearby after the death of its mother.
The calf’s survival will depend on its age and the family structure of the whale group it belongs to, it said.
It is unclear why the female orca was stranded, the society said, adding that the whales would have come in on a high tide, possibly for hunting purposes.
The spot where the whale was stranded is known to recede quickly during a falling tide.
Nearby Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations, whose members were among the first to respond to the scene, have since sent a number of boats into Nootka Sound to look for an orca pod that might be able to take in the calf.
People are being advised to stay away from the causeway during the cleanup and investigation.