Credit © 🎞 @sealifer3 #Repost @pnwprotectors #ahasave @ahasave —— ‘On this Mother’s Day, there is some cause for cautious optimism for some of the most famous mothers in our region, on whom the future of this fragile population of orcas depends. Mother orca Tahlequah, J35, brought front & center the extinction crisis threatening the SRKW in 2018 when she swam for 17 days & more than 1000 miles through the Salish Sea with her deceased newborn calf. Since Tahlequah lost her calf she has birthed another, J57, “Phoenix”, a male born in September 2020. Two more calves also have been born to J pod, J56, “Tofino”, a female born in 2019, and J58, “Crescent”, a female born in 2020. “There are signs for optimism; over the last several years, J pod is in better condition than in much of the last decade,” said John Durban, professor at Oregon State University, and research associate with an orca health monitoring project led by Holly Fearnbach of SR3, @sealifer3 a science, research & marine mammal rescue nonprofit. “There is hope in our images,” Durban said. “But it is fragile.” With the birth to L pod, L124 “Whistle” born in May 2019, and L125, born in February 2021, as well as the three J pod calves, this has given us something to root for: not only the new orca babies, but also their moms. The SRKW put family first. Their society is matriarchal, with the pods led by grandmothers & mothers. Every baby brings both hope & risk for the population, as the mother undergoes the most costly and risky stage of her life, carrying, birthing and nursing her baby. The southern resident orcas eat primarily chinook salmon, which are in decline throughout the orcas’ foraging range.’ 🐟🐟🐟 Let’s all change this! Incredible article written by: @lyndamapes Lynda Mapes for the Seattle Times @seattletimes 📸: Photogrammetry @sealifer3 #srkw #weprotectwhatwelove #fintofin #orcalove https://www.instagram.com/p/COrvEDQBLI_/?igshid=1duvs3rkz607l
