WATCH: Pictures of one of B.C.’s newest orcas have surfaced. Michael Harris from the Pacific Whale Watch Association joins Global News to discuss the calf sighting, and how the orca population is doing.
VANCOUVER – New photos of L-pod, the endangered Southern Resident orcas, show their newest addition appears to be doing well.
Calf L121, is the third baby born to resident pods in recent months. A fourth calf was born in March.
Resident killer whale calves have a 40 per cent mortality rate in their first year of life. There were some concerns L121 may have died as it had not been seen for a while.
The Victoria Marine Science Association (VMSA) shared photos on Facebook of the latest sighting of L-pod, saying they were reported travelling south off Blunden Island, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, around 2:15 p.m. on Monday.
They were then spotted off Wilf Rocks an hour later and around 4:15 p.m. could be seen off Frank Island.
When the VMSA caught up to the pod, the whales were having fun in the chop and breaching, spyhopping, tail lobbing and cartwheeling.
Baby L121 was keeping up with them.
“L121 was looking good and was with their mom and L41, a male born in 1977,” the VMSA wrote on Facebook. “Often older males help ‘babysit’ younger calves. L121 was energetic and very healthy looking.”
Also spotted with the pod was L25, the presumed mother of Lolita, who is in the Miami Seaquarium.
L-pod is one of three families of Southern Resident orcas off the Washington Coast. They are the only orca population listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and are protected under the Endangered Species Act.
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