Endangered orcas’ circle of life: one baby dies, another is born

Whale watchers were relieved to see a baby orca off the Kitsap Peninsula’s Point No Point Monday afternoon.

They mistakenly believed it was J61, the newest member of the Northwest’s endangered killer whales. She had not been seen for nearly a week.

On Dec. 24, researchers had expressed concern that the newborn, known as J61, looked lethargic and was being nudged along on her mother’s nose at times.

The mother, known as J35 or Tahlequah, had made global headlines in 2018 when she carried her dead calf on her nose for more than two weeks.

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Newborns among the endangered southern resident orcas have only a 50-50 chance of living to their first birthday. They and their salmon-eating mothers often have difficulty getting enough food to eat.

“She looked healthy & vibrant today,” wildlife photographer Tisa Annette texted KUOW. “Looked very active and mostly keeping right up with family.”

The nature photographer had gone out looking for J61 to confirm she was still alive.

“I yelled out to others on the beach, 'Baby!!!' And then started crying in relief,” Annette said.

Annette said the baby’s family swam together, keeping J61 in the middle.

But a further look at those photographs that night revealed that the baby orca was surrounded by a matriline, or extended family of orcas, that was not that of J35, but of another group in J Pod.

While orcas sometimes accompany and even nurse babies that are not their own, chances were low that this baby belonged to J35, which was not nearby.

On Tuesday, researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were out on the water again, documenting the endangered southern residents with long-lens photography.

“Based on our observations of J35, the presumed mother of J61, we do not believe it survived,” NOAA researcher Brad Hanson said in a text message Tuesday evening.

While researchers did not see J61 on Tuesday, they did see another baby.

“We did observe another new calf, but its mother is currently uncertain,” Hanson said.

He said federal researchers were conferring with the Center for Whale Research before making a final determination on the presumed death of J61 and the identity of the newest young orca.

With J61’s death and the unnamed baby’s arrival, the endangered orcas’ population stands at 75, down from 88 when they were protected under the federal Endangered Species Act in 2005.

Starting Jan. 1, boaters in Washington state are required to stay 1,000 yards away from the southern residents, more than doubling the distance under previous state regulations.

Correction notice, 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, 12/31/24: An earlier version of this story mistakenly identified the baby orca spotted on Dec. 30 as J61, which is now presumed dead.