An orca that carried her dead calf for 17 days has let it go, said researchers on Aug. 11.
“Her tour of grief is now over and her behavior is remarkably frisky. Telephoto digital images taken from shore show that this mother whale appears to be in good physical condition,” according to the research website.
It added: “There had been reports from brief sightings by whale-watchers two days ago that J35 (Tahlequah) was not pushing the calf carcass in Georgia Strait near Vancouver, BC; and, now we can confirm that she definitely has abandoned it.”
The calf’s body likely “sunk to the bottom of these inland marine waters of the Salish Sea, and researchers may not get a chance to examine it for necropsy,” researchers said.
“She is alive and well and at least over that part of her grief. Today was the first day that I for sure saw her. It is no longer there,” he added.
Researchers had originally planned to study the calf’s cause of death.
