This photo was taken by Hongming Zheng, a pilot, photographer, and orca enthusiast. He said he had taken a slightly longer route to work in the hopes of catching a glimpse of them from the ferry. And he was rewarded with some great views of the pod surrounding and supporting the new baby during his commute from Kingston to Edmonds.
Hongming Zheng
The orcas of Jpod made their way into the Puget Sound on Dec. 22 with 25 members. And they swam out on Dec. 29 with 26 members.
Within days, naturalists were able to identify that this baby is a boy. Although it has not yet been officially confirmed, the early theories thought that the newest member of the pod is likely the first calf for J40. When the pod returned to the Seattle area last week, the baby was seen with a different member of Jpod. Naturalists will be watching closely to figure out who his mother is and will hopefully be working on a name for J60 soon.
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This photo was taken by Hongming Zheng, a pilot, photographer, and orca enthusiast. He said he had taken a slightly longer route to work in the hopes of catching a glimpse of them from the ferry. And he was rewarded with some great views of the pod surrounding and supporting the new baby during his commute from Kingston to Edmonds.
While it is a nice closeup of the new baby, it is important to note that they were nowhere near the orca pod. Vessels are required to stay at least 300 yards from the orcas and the ferries come to a stop when there are whales in their path.
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“The arrival of this new Jpod calf is undeniably thrilling, drawing the interest of many eager to catch a glimpse of the little orange-tinted baby,” said fellow orca lover Tisa Annette.
And she cautioned that, “this excitement carries with it a renewed responsibility toward the Southern Resident Killer Whale population, especially concerning the well-being of this vulnerable calf in its first year of life.”
She established the group Puget Sound Orcas to assist others in seeing and learning about orcas in the area. Annette discovered the orcas at a turning point in her life and has committed to doing everything she can to help as many people as possible see them in return. She works closely with Salish Wildlife Watch and is encouraged by the additional protections being adopted by the state for 2025.
These orcas are critically endangered with only 75 whales remaining in the wild. They face threats from noise and chemical pollution, and a lack of salmon in the area. Everyone is hopeful that the newest member of the pod will be healthy and able to survive.
Center for Whale Research has been dedicated to the study and conservation of Southern Resident Killer Whales (orcas) since 1976 and will have more information about the baby orca on their website: https://www.whaleresearch.com/.