ZEBALLOS, BC — ZEBALLOS, British Columbia (AP) — An orphaned killer whale stranded in a remote Vancouver Island lagoon is proving difficult for rescuers to catch, an official at the site said Friday.
Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John said the capture operation is in the “demobilization stage” after an unsuccessful attempt to rescue the 2-year-old orca that began before dawn.
He said they plan to try again in a couple of days, and that rescuers were “standing down.”
The 2-year-old calf has been alone in Little Espinosa Inlet for about three weeks after its pregnant mother was beached at low tide and died on March 23.
The pair got into the lagoon by swimming through a narrow and fast-moving channel connecting it to the ocean.
The First Nation said earlier that the rescue was launched at 5 a.m. because of favorable weather conditions.
Rescue plans involve trying to corral the female calf into a shallow part of the 3-kilometer lagoon, using boats, divers and a net, before she would be placed in a large fabric sling and hoisted onto a transport vehicle.
The young orca has been given the name Kʷiisaḥiʔis, which translates roughly to mean "brave little hunter." Successful stranded orca rescues have been completed in the past — including of Springer, a young whale separated from her pod in 2002. She was later reunited and went on to have calves of her own.