Baby orca that was trapped in lake after its mother’s death finds its way to the sea, in Canada | Biodiversity

A tense story that has been unfolding since March had an exciting chapter this Friday (26), when news that a baby orca, lost in a lake in the Vancouver Island region, in Canada, found its way towards the sea alone . After losing her mother, who was trapped in shallow waters, the cub has been accompanied by teams who feed her with seal meat, in addition to making several attempts to direct her.

The turnaround is important, as the possibilities of rescuing the baby, a two-year-old orca, are not considered the best approaches, due to the stress and even the possibility that the animal will not resist being transferred to the ocean. Another crucial point is that, by finding its way to the sea, the cetacean has a chance to reunite with its family, the group to which it and its deceased mother belong.

In the early hours of Friday, during high tide, a small group of rescuers watched as she swam under the bridge that had long been a barrier to her freedom, according to a report in The Guardian newspaper.

The animal was being fed and directed to the location by environmental teams. The successful “escape” comes after failed attempts to target the animal, which mobilized a team of around 50 people, including federal agents and members of indigenous peoples in Canada. Sounds from other orcas, metallic noises in the water and even ropes with buoys were used in an attempt to take the baby to the ocean.

The small orca was named by the locals as “brave little hunter”. The saga began on March 23, when residents of a coastal community along northwest Vancouver Island spotted her mother, named Spong, trapped in a trough-like depression on the shore. The calf circled in the nearby shallow waters as its mother struggled, and cries of anguish were heard on hydrophones placed in the water.

30-minute window a day to escape

These mammals usually stay with their mothers for their entire lives, so it was unknown whether the two-year-old orca would ever leave.

Rescue at the site is made daily difficult by the characteristics of the lake: there, the water only rises enough for 30 minutes each day to facilitate the escape of the young orca. The teams were also hesitant to feed the animal, as it could disrupt their hunting routine on the high seas.

— The reality is that helping the whale feed could result in a relationship with humans that would be difficult to break. But my real concern is that the whale leaves the lagoon safely and reaches its group,” Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John told local media.