Baby Orca finally frees itself after being stuck in lagoon for more than 30 days

Killer whale left alone after pregnant mother died in Vancouver Island

By Web Desk
April 28, 2024
Orca calf trapped in Canadian lagoon swims to freedom. — AFP/File

A young killer whale that had been stuck for more than a month in a lagoon has finally freed itself, NBC News reported.

The orphaned Orca had been stuck near British Columbia in Vancouver Island since March.

Advertisement

The Ehattesaht First Nation named the Orca calf "Brave Little Hunter" after her pregnant mother died on a rocky beach in late March, leaving her alone.

The team, along with fisheries officials, made several unsuccessful attempts to catch and release her in open waters.

Attempts reportedly included using a sling to transport her, playing recorded killer whale vocalisations to lure her out of the remote lagoon, and even serenading her with violin music.

Finally, on Friday, during high tide she "swam past the sand bar her mother passed away on, under the bridge, down Little Espinosa Inlet and onto Esperanza Inlet all on her own."

The Ehattesaht First Nation team were treated with "a long night of her breaching and playing."

The team later caught up with the Orca calf in Esperanza Inlet, hoping to "encourage her out toward the open ocean where it is hoped that the Brave Little Hunter's calls will be heard by her family."

Advertisement