Another baby orca welcomed in an endangered pod in B.C., only enemy is pollution

Congratulations to the new mom and J pod.

Arguably the most famous pod of orcas traversing Canadian-American seas is the J pod.

Earlier this month, the mamma orca who carried her dead calf around for 17 days gave birth to sweet new baby orca (Endangered orca who carried dead calf for weeks gives birth to 'precocious' baby).

On September 24th, another orca in the J pod gave birth to a healthy baby. According to the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA), the calf was born just offshore of Victoria, British Columbia.

Professional naturalists, Talia Goodyear and Leah Vanderwiel, witnessed the birth, along with the very lucky people who where whale watching with Orca Spirit Adventures.

Vanderwiel shared that the new mamma "was aiding the baby up for a few breaths with her rostrum, at which point the little one started surfacing on its own." She added that the calf "appeared to be a rambunctious little bundle of baby, as every surface was exaggerated and playful."

Photo cred: Talia Goodyear/Orca Spirit Adventures/Pacific Whale Watching Association

Before this calf and the previous September calf was born, the last healthy baby was born in May 2019.

The orcas that live between the B.C.-Washington border belong to one of three pods, J, K, and L. All pods are endangered according to the Canadian government's species at risk registry.

There's a 40 per cent mortality rate within these communities of killer whales. Climate change and pollution have impacted the waters in which they live. The mammals have difficulty sourcing food, which leads to malnutrition and miscarriages.

In nature, orcas don't have enemies, but they are certainly impacted by the effects of pollution and climate change.

Thumbnail credit: Talia Goodyear/Orca Spirit Adventures/Pacific Whale Watching Association