In 2018, a killer whale that swam with her dead calf for 17 days on a “tour of grief” captured the hearts of millions around the world.
Now, the orca is back in the headlines again, and this time there’s happy news to report.
She recently gave birth!
Two years ago, the orca, known as Tahlequah or J35, spent more than 2 weeks grieving the loss of her baby.
“She literally is pushing her baby to connect with it and, hope against hope — hoping that it will take a breath, which it will never do,” CBS News.
She carried the dead calf for roughly 1,000 miles along the Pacific coast of Canada and United States.
A sign of hope for Tahlequah.
She gave birth to a “healthy and precocious” calf.
On September 5, the pod which Tahlequah belongs to was spotted with a very small calf.
“She was still capable of producing a live calf after an approximate eighteen-month gestation! Hooray!” the Whale Research Center said in a press release.
Researchers determined the calf, Tahlequah’s baby was born at least one day prior since its dorsal fin was standing upright.
The new calf has been named J57, and researchers hope it survives as whales have experienced significant nutritional stress over the past several years, in addition to the high mortality rate for calves.
What wonderful news! My wish is this little one has a very long and healthy life.
Share this exciting news on Facebook.
