The Marine Connection has received news from colleagues at Orcalab, Hanson Island - Springer the orca has returned to Johnstone Strait and is looking great! This young female born 2000 and officially named A73, was discovered alone in Puget Sound, Washington in 2002 after her mother had apparently died.

As the orcas of the region have been studied extensively, whale experts were able to identify Springer by listening to her vocal calls, and were also able to determine the location of her remaining family. Six months later, after being treated for medical conditions and given extra food, she was transported to the northeast side of Vancouver Island, near the tiny community of Telegraph Cove. Five years later Springer is thriving with her family's pod and the contrast is remarkable as then the whale was in bad shape, small, and underweight and had a skin condition. The young orca should have still been on mother's milk when her mother vanished and although still small for her age she shows no signs of different behaviours or any problems. She is the only whale so far to be successfully re-integrated into a wild pod after human intervention.

Almost 3 anxious months have passed since the tragic oil spill in Robson Bight click here for further information which exposed fully 25% of the Northern resident orca community to toxic diesel fumes. Springer’s family, the A4 pod, was one of the groups which spent several hours amidst a dense diesel fog in Robson Bight the night after the incident. During the 2 weeks that followed, none of the A4s, including Springer, displayed obvious symptoms. Two months later, on November 7th the Orcalab team heard the welcome sounds of the A4 pod in Blackfish Sound once more. They thought the calls were probably from Springer’s adoptive family, her great aunt Yakat’s group within the A11 matriline. An A5 group was with them, and a couple of days later they were joined by Scimitar’s A12 family.

On November 10th, all 3 groups were sighted as they headed slowly north through Blackney Pass, photographs of most of the orcas were taken to confirm their identities. Springer was travelling with her close cousins Nahwitti (A56) Current (A79) and Echo (A55) and appeared energetic - even her skin is in excellent condition! It’s far too early to say that the orcas are all out of danger with regards to the oil spill but these particular three families look fine which for the moment is simply perfect news.

Source: orcalab