Another adult Southern resident killer whale and her calf found in poor health
VANCOUVER — A female adult Southern resident killer whale and her three-and-a-half-year-old calf are rapidly declining in health in what appears to be a troubling situation for the creatures.
Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States recently released photos taken by a drone that show the adult known as J17 had deteriorated in health since she was assessed last fall.
Her daughter, J53, has also declined in condition, said an update on the administration’s website.
Joe Gaydos with the SeaDoc Society out of the University of California, Davis, said it is a troubling development, given the death last year of a four-year-old orca known as J50.