A large task force is underway to rescue a young orca in the Salish Sea who risks dying after falling behind the group. The worst was feared but the mammal has been sighted by biologists who are now trying to cure it.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
A large task force is underway to rescue a young orca in the Salish Sea, in the Strait of Georgia, which is in danger of dying after falling behind the group. The worst was feared but the mammal has been sighted by biologists who are now trying to cure it.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the killer whale suffers from malnutrition, worms and an infection. Known as J50, the mammal of three years, he could not keep up with the group and for a few days his tracks were lost. But on Monday morning she luckily she was spotted with her mother, even if her conditions are not the best.
“We were starting to fear the worst. The orca, which is just over three years old, has been reported by Hein Bank, south of San Juan Island, by several observers, said Michael Milstein, a spokesman for NOAA.
J50 is part of a population at risk of extinction, for this reason the life of the animal, together with the others 75 specimens left in the area, is continuously monitored. Biologists were immediately alarmed when last week they no longer saw the animal on the west side of San Juan Island.
The pod also includes J35, or Tahlequah, a female whose young died half an hour after she was born on July 24. The biologists saw the grieving mother carry her cub 1.000 miles (1.600 kilometers) for 17 days.
NEW VIDEO of J50 with mom today. She was given a partial dose of antibiotics. Credit: Ken Balcomb @CWROrcas #killerwhales #orcas #Blackfish #EndangeredSpecies pic.twitter.com/B7vO4UyADW
— Alison Morrow (@AlisonMorrowK5) 4 settembre 2018
Through drones, biologists have documented severe weight loss, the orca renamed Scarlet until recently was very active for this reason we investigate what could have caused these health problems especially because the presence of worms in the stomach is not a good sign.
NOAA biologists continue to administer drugs and feed her in hopes that the orca will react. All remaining specimens live in a protection zone off the San Juan Islands from Mitchell Point in the north to Cattle Point in the south. Here we try to avoid the arrival of motor boats to limit the noise that hinders the peaceful life of killer whales and salmon.
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Dominella Trunfio
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