Youngest member of J Pod assumed dead after orca disappears

The Center for Whale Research (CWR) has announced that the youngest member of the J pod was missing during their latest encounter with the Orcas.

CWR researchers say they realized the calf was missing during a photo ID survey in the San Juan Channel on Jan 27.

“Given his young age, it is extremely unlikely that J60 was off on his own for the entire duration of the encounter,” said a spokesperson. “While our protocols require at least three full censuses of the group to confirm mortality, we now believe that J60 is likely deceased.”

Officials say that J42 was most likely the calf’s mother. The mortality rate for young calves born to first-time mothers is very high in the southern residents, according to CWR.

This is because southern residents tend to have a ‘poor nutritional status,’ along with toxins that can be transferred from mother to calf during feeding.

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