Did you hear that J35/Tahlequah had a new baby? Welcome, J57!
Besides the joy of J57’s birth, there are also two more expectant mothers, one each in K and L pods. Please join us as we cautiously celebrate this hopeful news for the Southern Resident orcas.
Tahlequah made headlines in 2018 when she swam for 17 days and 1,000 miles with the body of her dead calf. We mourned with her then.
Due to so many environmental stressors, there is a 40 percent mortality rate for young Southern Resident calves. The stressors – lack of food, pollution, and noisy waters – are all human-caused, and it is only we humans who can do something to help improve the situation. Some vital actions are to protect salmon habitat, stop polluting our environment, and give the orcas peace and quiet so they can socialize and successfully hunt for scarce prey.
One thing you can do to help right now is to take a pledge to give the Southern Resident orcas more space and quieter waters to help them raise healthy babies. This is always a good thing to do, but especially now when we have a glimmer of hope that their numbers will increase this year.
Pledge for recreational boaters (including motorboats, sailboats, kayaks, jet-skis, and paddleboards).
Pledge for individuals (if you don’t have a boat, but still want to help).
Pledge for commercial whale watch operators.
Click here to get updates about the pledge on the “Give them Space” pledge Facebook page.
If you have any questions, please contact our Marine Protection and Policy Director, Lovel Pratt at [email protected].
Thank you for supporting for these orca moms—from a distance!
Illustration above courtesy of San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping.
