The killer whale that broke hearts around the globe when she carried her dead calf around for 17-days has given birth again.
A member of the Pacific Whale Watch Association spotted orca J35, a 22-year-old member of JPod known by the nickname Talequah, on Saturday.
“We first saw J35 and her son J47 off by themselves away from the main group, then as we watched we quickly realized that there was a very small fin tucked in next to them,” said Sarah McCullagh, a naturalist and captain with San Juan Safaris in a statement.
“I was obviously elated, so excited for J35 after the incredible loss she suffered a couple of years ago, but also for the Southern Resident community as a whole. I definitely cried.”
“We hope this calf is a success story,” wrote the group on its website. “Regrettably, with the whales having so much nutritional distress in recent years, a large percentage of pregnancies fail and there is about 40 per cent mortality for calves.”
Southern resident killer whales are considered endangered and with the new addition to the pack – there are still only 73 whales in the group.