Orca Tahlequah seen pushing second dead calf in WA waters
SEATTLE - The Center for Whale Research has confirmed the loss of J pod calf J61, the latest tragedy for J35, known as Tahlequah.
This follows the loss of two previous calves in 2024. J61’s death has sent ripples of sorrow through the whale research community, as many remember the profound grief displayed by Tahlequah just six years ago.
Tahlequah made international headlines in the summer of 2018 when she carried her dead newborn calf for 17 days, a heartbreaking journey covering more than 1,000 miles.
The calf had died shortly after birth, and Tahlequah’s refusal to let go sparked widespread attention. During that time, her family members took turns supporting her, carrying the deceased calf to allow her to rest.
The emotional toll of losing another calf, J61, has led to a similar display of mourning.
"We know killer whales are highly intelligent, emotional, and have very strong family bonds — I see it as grief," said Tamara Kelley of the Orca Conservancy. "To see her carrying this other dead calf in the way that she did in 2018 […] it's definitely showing that she is grieving this is a hard loss."
As of Jan. 1, CWR confirmed that J35 has been seen carrying the body of J61, just as she did in 2018. NOAA wildlife biologist Brad Hanson notes that carrying the dead calf is very draining, as she has to keep diving to bring its body back to the surface, taking away critical time for her to forage.
In a Facebook post, the Center for Whale Research shared the depth of this loss, noting that J61’s death is particularly heartbreaking not only because she was female, but a potential future matriarch. With J61’s passing, J35 has now lost two of her four documented calves, both females.
"I want to say it was upwards of three generations were removed from [the 1970s Penn Cove] captures […] females are very important for the population, because we need breeding females to survive into adulthood to produce future calves," said Kelley. "[Tahlequah]’s hitting that 50% calf mortality rate that we see."
Amidst the sorrow, there is some bittersweet news. Researchers confirmed the birth of a new calf, designated J62, born to one of the females in J pod.
The birth of J62 offers a ray of hope for the Southern Resident Killer Whale population.
Hanson also notes there was a clear difference between the health of the late J61 and newborn J62 — he said when biologists first saw J61 it did not look well, and Tahlequah was pushing it around with her head, even while it was still alive.
The CWR has yet to confirm the sex of this newborn calf.
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