Killer whale Tahlequah who carried dead calf in 'show of grief' gives birth again - but experts are worried
An orca who touched the hearts of people around the world in 2018 after she carried her dead calf for 17 days in an apparent show of grief has given birth again.
The killer whale, named Tahlequah or J35 to researchers, was spotted swimming with a new calf in the Puget Sound waterway off Washington State on Friday, scientists have said.
In a Facebook post, the Center for Whale Research confirmed the baby, which it has named J61, is female.
However, experts have raised concerns about the health of the new calf 'based on the behaviour of both J35 and J61'.
In a post on X, the Orca Conservancy said: 'The calf had also been observed being pushed around on J35's head and was not looking lively, which is a concern.'
The Center for Whale Research added: 'Early life is always dangerous for new calves, with a very high mortality rate in the first year.
'J35 is an experienced mother, and we hope that she is able to keep J61 alive through these difficult early days.'
Tahlequah gave birth to one calf in 2010 who survived, but she also suffered a miscarriage in mid-2010 before losing the 2018 calf soon after birth.
An orca who touched the hearts of people around the world in 2018 after she carried her dead calf for 17 days in an apparent show of grief has given birth to a new baby
In a Facebook post, the Center for Whale Research confirmed the baby, which it has named J61, is female
Tahlequah or J35 to researchers is pictured grieving on July 24, 2018 after her calf died
She carried the dead infant for more than 1,000 miles with experts saying at the time that she was going through a 'deep grieving process'.
'The baby was so newborn it didn't have blubber. It kept sinking, and the mother would raise it to the surface,' Ken Balcomb, a senior scientist with the Center for Whale Research said at the time.
'It is horrible. This is an animal that is a sentient being,' Deborah Giles, science and research director for the nonprofit Wild Orca added.
'It understands the social bonds that it has with the rest of its family members.'
'(The mother) is bonded to (the calf) and she doesn't want to let it go. It is that simple. She is grieving,' she added.
Whales and dolphins are known to express grief and even hold 'vigils' for their dead by clinging onto the lifeless bodies of their offspring for days to keep them safe from predators.
However, Tahlequah's display was unprecedented, striking an emotional chord worldwide.
Southern Resident killer whales in the Pacific are critically endangered with only a few dozen left in the wild.
According to experts, a lack of salmon — and resulting stress from hunger — has been linked to the whales' poor reproductive circumstances.
Currently there is around a 40 per cent mortality rate for young calves with a high percentage of preganancies failing.
They are also threatened by pollution and underwater noise — with the latter disrupting the orca's sound-based hunting ability.
A baby orca whale is being pushed by her mother after being born off the Canada coast near Victoria in July 2018
