Endangered southern resident killer whales welcomed a new calf recently, according to whale researchers in Washington.
The Center for Whale Research said it has received photos of a new calf with J-pod spotted in Puget Sound on Tuesday. The centre estimates the calf is just a few days old, because it wasn’t seen with the pod in encounters as recently as Saturday.
The calf was mostly observed near an adult female known as J40, who has not yet reproduced, and the centre believes J40 is likely the mother.
The sex of the calf is unknown.
Southern resident killer whales welcomed another calf in June. According to a census led by the Center for Whale Research, there were 75 southern residents as of July 1, an increase of two orcas from the year previous. No deaths were recorded in the most recent census.
The population was significantly reduced through the 1960s and 1970s due to orcas being captured for marine parks, according to the centre. People killed at least 13 orcas while capturing the killer whales and 45 were sold to parks around the world to live in exhibits.
The population grew to a peak of 98 in the mid-1990s, before declining to 78 in 2001.
The salmon-eating endangered species is threatened by a lack of food, environmental contaminants and vessel disturbance, the centre says.
