Grieving killer mother whale carries dead newborn for over 17 days, 1600 kilometers

Image Courtesy: Center for Whale Research

The image of an endangered killer whale, carrying her dead newborn calf for at least 17 days, has the caught the attention of the entire world.

The grieving mother whale, Tahlequah, also known as J35 to the scientific community, travelled over 1600 kilometres, carrying the carcass of her baby girl in the water.

While killer whales are known to carry their dead children for up to seven days, Tahlequah reportedly set a new record of 17 days.

The mother whale was first spotted carrying her dead calf on 24 July, off the shore of Vancouver Island.

Initially, the newborn whale was reported to be alive and swimming with its mother, but died on the same day due to unknown reasons.

“The baby’s carcass was sinking and being repeatedly retrieved by the mother who was supporting it on her forehead and pushing it in choppy seas toward San Juan Island, USA. The mother continued supporting and pushing the dead baby whale throughout the day until at least sunset,” said the Center for Whale Research (CWR).

The mother whale was later seen chasing a school of salmon with her pod-mates - no longer carrying the deceased baby that she had carried for at least seventeen days and 1,000 miles. 

“Her tour of grief is now over and her behaviour is remarkably frisky. Telephoto digital images taken from shore show that this mother whale appears to be in good physical condition (no evidence of “peanut-head”) following her record-setting ordeal,” added the CWR. 

Nearly 75% of newborns of endangered killer whales have not survived in the recent two decades giving rise to its imminent threat of extinction.