Rescue of trapped killer whale calf temporarily suspended, Fisheries and Oceans Canada says

Members of the Ehattesaht First Nation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Vancouver Aquarium have temporarily suspended an operation to move a stranded killer whale calf out of a remote Vancouver Island lagoon and into open water.

A Friday afternoon statement from the DFO says the orca was not ready to be moved, and the team will regroup this afternoon to start planning the next steps.

The two-year-old female transient killer whale, known as kʷiisaḥiʔis (Brave Little Hunter), has been stuck in the tidal lagoon near the village of Zeballos, on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, since March 23, when its pregnant mother became trapped by the low tide and died on a rocky beach.

The DFO said kʷiisaḥiʔis evaded several attempts to coax her into the shallow end of the lagoon during Friday’s rescue, and returned to the area she has been hanging out in.

“Anytime people undertake an effort like this you have to be prepared that the animal may not want to co-operate,” the statement said.

The orca was examined by experts and veterinarian staff from the Vancouver Aquarium, and still appears to be in good health and is swimming well.

Calf to be transported in sling

For weeks, experts — including First Nation members, DFO marine mammal experts, whale scientists and boat and machine operators — have gathered in the small community of about 200 people to plan how to free the killer whale calf.

They have spent much of the past week in meetings preparing for a rescue attempt.

The DFO said in a release that it was planning to use a sling to lift kʷiisaḥiʔis out of the lagoon and transport the calf to open water.

On Thursday, rescuers were practising lifting the sling with an excavator and transporting to the bed of a truck.

DFO has said the road to the lagoon will be closed during the rescue to protect the orca’s safety.

An orphaned orca calf is shown in a lagoon near Zeballos, B.C., on April 2. The two year-old orca has been trapped alone in the tidal lagoon since March 23, when its mother died. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press)

The Ehattesaht First Nation said in a release that the whale’s health is at the forefront of all decisions.

“When we look at [kʷiisaḥiʔis] from a distance we can’t really see too many changes but her calls are certainly the hardest part of the past two weeks,” the release said.

“They are sorrowful and as they go unanswered, your heart sinks.”

Past rescue attempts to free the orca have unfortunately been unsuccessful.

A roadblock was set up on the only road leading to the lagoon as a rescue attempt is underway to rescue the orphaned two-year-old female orca calf near Zeballos, B.C. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito)

Previously, rescuers tried to coax the whale out of the lagoon by using recorded killer whale vocalizations.

On March 28, around 10 boats attempted to herd the orca by using oikomi pipes, which are made out of metal and create a loud noise underwater when struck. But to escape the lagoon, the orca would have to pass over the same sandbar where its mother was beached and died.

At one point, DFO even considered lifting kʷiisaḥiʔis out of the lagoon via helicopter, but it has since abandoned that plan.