The Ehattesaht First Nation says a killer whale calf that had been trapped in a remote Vancouver Island lagoon for more than a month is now free after it swam out on its own early Friday morning.

The nation said kʷiisaḥiʔis, or Brave Little Hunter, swam over the sandbar and out into open water during high tide around 2:30 a.m. PT.

After a long night of feeding kʷiisaḥiʔis and watching her play in the lagoon, the nation said, a small group “stood as witnesses to watch her swim under the bridge and down the inlet.”

“Today the community of Zeballos and people everywhere are waking up to some incredible news and what can only be described as pride for strength this little orca has shown,” said Chief Simon John in a release.

The two-year-old female transient killer whale had been stuck in the tidal lagoon near the village of Zeballos, B.C., since March 23, when its pregnant mother became trapped at low tide and died on a rocky beach.

After kʷiisaḥiʔis swam free, John says the calf was later seen in Friday morning in Espinosa Inlet and a team followed her as she moved toward Esperanza Inlet and the open ocean.

  • MeaanBeaan@lemmy.world
    3·
    6 months ago

    Man this is real sad. Orcas stay with their mothers in their pods their whole life. This orca’s mother dying this early in her life is devastating.

    • BlameThePeacockEnglish
      2·
      6 months ago

      They’re watching over it, hoping it re-unites with it’s pod automatically (sound travels really well through water).

      They can probably help that along if it doesn’t happen naturally.

      • corsicanguppy
        1·
        6 months ago

        There’s the worry. We can’t see too far below the water’s surface, where 100% of natural dangers will originate. As to how they can help, I just can’t imagine anything people can do.

        Except hope. Hope, and feel involved. I just don’t see where that will impact stuff; and I may need help seeing past my own biases to understand.

        Oh well. Trust the marine biologists on this, I guess.