A pod of endangered orcas off the coast of British Columbia is welcoming a new sign of hope: A baby orca.Princess Angeline, a 38-year-old orca, was seen swimming with her new baby on Saturday.
The new baby, J53, is the third calf born to J pod so far this year.Executive Director Michael Harris said in a statement the wide age range of the female orcas giving birth is fascinating.
“This year we’ve had the youngest mother on record give birth, a 10-year-old, and three of the oldest,” Michael Harris, Executive Director of the Center for Whale Research, told CTV News.
“Now we’ve got a grandma having a baby. Forty is definitely the new 30 among the Southerns.”
The new member joins a pod observed thriving earlier this year, lending new hope that the endangered orca population is beginning to have a resurgence.
We couldn’t be happier for them.
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