Missing orcas (killer whales)

Researchers fear five missing killer whales are dead

Almost certainly this link will rot but until it does. So who is missing?

Three Southern

  • K28 – Raven – 12 year old female – last seen Sept 19th
  • L43 – Jellyroll – 34 year old female – last seen Sept 2nd
  • L71 – Hugo – 20 year old male – last seen July 15th

Have a quick look here for the id photos.
Two Northern (Identities not given in the story)

Boat strikes are speculated on as is toxic waste weakening the immune system. Southern stories focus on starvation and lack of salmon.

In the light of a story that I started a few days ago about the endangered status of the whales this is hardly encouraging. When I think about all the other life in the ecosystem that is suffering but doesn’t get this coverage it seems a little discouraging. Except that there will be a trickle down effect.

For example: Each fall one of my true pleasures is going and doing some treeplanting on an obscure creek in the Whatcom watershed. From orcas to treeplanting? Ah yeah. I’m here to plant trees. I have some obscure sense that this in some way stems the disappearance of trees and I just enjoy being out in the crisp fall air. The link though is salmon. Prime fodder for the orca and the heartbeat of this little stream.

Choked out by reed canary grass – a local group is slowly restoring it. In the face of beavers and other setbacks we are slowly gaining ground. Salmon being released now will return to be able to spawn in clear waters at some point in the future.

Do we need millions of dollars to restore the orca? No though we do need millions of tiny actions like this tree planting exercise.


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