Hanging by a thread: B.C.’s southern resident orcas on a path to extinction

Hanging by a thread: B.C.’s southern resident orcas on a path to extinction B.

C.’s southern resident orcas are on a path to extinction. A Canadian emergency protection order could give them a fighting chance, environmental groups say.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press Aug 5, 2024 5:15 AM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message The southern resident killer whale known as J35, or Tahlequah, is shown in a 2020 handout photo with her calf, known as J57. Two years earlier, Tahlequah captured worldwide attention when she was observed pushing the body of another calf for more than two weeks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO/Katie Jones, Center for Whale Research **MANDATORY CREDIT** Listen to this article 00:10:31 The southern resident killer whale known as Tahlequah captured global sympathy in 2018 when she pushed the body of her dead calf for more than two weeks in waters off British Columbia's south coast.

Some scientists and advocates called the scene a display of public grief. But the impact of the loss went beyond Tahlequah. It was a significant blow to the entire population that numbers just 74 individuals.

A recent peer-reviewed paper suggests a baseline rate of population loss of roughly one per cent per year — based on modelling and 40 years of observations — putting the whales on a path toward a "period of accelerating decline that presages extinction." Even that rate of loss is "optimistic," the research says. The study lends.