Orca That Carried Dead Calf Around for 17 Days Lost Another Baby

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Sad news for wildlife enthusiasts. An orca mother named J35 recently gave birth to a female calf, but researchers now believe that calf has died. This news is particularly sad considering J35’s unique history. Back in August 2018, she took media by storm after her calf died and she proceeded to carry the baby orca’s dead body around for at least 17 days and 1,000 miles. This display of grief struck a chord with many. The loss of yet another calf is pulling at orca lovers’ heartstrings once more.

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The Center for Whale Research initially shared cautiously optimistic news that their team had observed J35 with a newborn female calf, J61. However, researchers “expressed concern about the calf’s health based on the behavior of both J35 and J61.”

Unfortunately, the orcas’ off behavior was telling. The next time the team observed the pod, which was on New Year’s Eve, J61 was gone. The organization announced the news yesterday.

See the series of posts sharing news of the orca calf that died:

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