Killer whale famous for 'Tour of Grief' gives birth to new calf, researches celebrate

In a celebratory development for all Whale Research institutes, the endangered killer whale named “Tahlequah” that caught attention on mourning for its dead calf by carrying it through the Salish Sea off British Columbia in 2018 for 17 days, has now given birth to a new calf. The whale also is known by scientists as “J35” has mostly given birth on September 4, said that Center for Whale Research in the state of Washington in a statement. 

Without revealing the gender of the calf, the center said that when Tahlequah was spotted she was mostly away from other whales and was “very evasive” while crossing the border into Canada. While announcing the news, the center also said that their encounter with the Southern Resident killer whale lasted only for few minutes and parted ways after wishing the duo well.

"Hooray! Her new calf appeared healthy and precocious, swimming vigorously alongside its mother in its second day of free-swimming life," the center said.

"So we ended our encounter with her after a few minutes and wished them well on their way," the center said. "We hope this calf is a success story."

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Tahlequah’s famous ‘Tour of Grief’ 

The killer whale had made the headlines two years ago because of her ‘Tour of Grief’ when during the summer months she carried her dead calf on her head for at least 17 days while swimming nearly 1,600km around the Salish Sea. Only last month, scientists had spotted the Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) pregnant. With drone sightings, Tahlequah was known to be expecting among other killer whales. 

Even though the Whale Research Center hoped that J35’s calf is a “success story” but noted that the killer whales have been facing nutritional stress in recent years. It also said that a huge number of pregnancies among these whales are a failure and the mortality rate of newborns remain at 40 per cent. 

The center added, “With this new calf in J pod, that we designate as J57, the SRKW population now numbers 73, although the official number for July 1 is estimated to be 72.”

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