‘Very lumpy and skinny’: Endangered Southern Resident orca calf emaciated, stopped breathing

An endangered Southern Resident orca calf has been seen emaciated and struggling to survive in the Puget Sound.

This comes just weeks after the calf was seen swimming with mom L-90 in a drone video.

On Friday, the Center for Whale Research announced that biologists observing the endangered pod saw the small emaciated calf on two occasions.

“It was wrinkly and lumpy and, uh, the skull was showing, you know, I mean, that just. That’s a sign that calf is not long for this world,” said Howard Garrett, Co-Founder of Orca Network.

A field biologist from the Center for Whale Research (CWR) observed orcas from the L Pod and K Pod on October 5 and 6, when he immediately became concerned about the calf.

The biologist initially noted that he was unsure if the calf was the same one he observed two weeks earlier, but said, “This calf appeared to be in a very different state compared to the prior observations.”

The calf was described as lumpy and skinny.

CWR biologists took pictures of the orca and received confirmation that it was the orca calf, L-128, he had observed in the weeks prior. L-128 was born sometime around mid-September and was given just a 50-50 chance of survival.

One of the adult orcas carried the calf to the boat and began to jiggle the calf.

The biologist believed the calf had stopped breathing and that the wiggling attempt by the adult was an attempt to revive it.

“So it was as if to give a message to us, to humanity. Do something. Do something for this struggling community of whales,” Garrett said.

CWR biologist returned the following day but did not see the calf or the adult orca.

At this time, CWR biologists are not able to categorize the calf as deceased or missing.

Garrett told KIRO 7 that the strain on the King Chinook Salmon supply is a big reason for the decline in orca numbers.

“They’re trying to make it up with other species of salmon and other fish out there, but they don’t have the nutritional value, and there’s much more work per calorie, you know, that you get to catch those other fish,” Garrett explained.

The newest calf, L128 is the first Southern resident born in the last two years.

Experts say the pod needs to have about two or three calves a year just to sustain their levels.

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