The Ehattesaht First Nation and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) have been working to reunite an orphaned Bigg’s killer whale with its pod following the death of its mother on Saturday, March 23rd.
The orca, who has been named kʷiisaḥiʔis (kwee-sa-hay-is)—roughly translated to Brave Little Hunter—has been trapped in the Little Espinosa Inlet near Zeballos all week with members of the DFO, the Ehattesaht First Nation and the neighbouring Nuchatlaht First Nation attempting to get her out.
Unfortunately, the Ehattesaht say that the sand bar at the causeway continues to pose a barrier, and she is still there.
That time and tides are working against their efforts, as they are getting smaller and the shallow water at the mouth of the lagoon has been deterring their strategies.
Related:
Newly orphaned orca calf remains stranded in lagoon near Zeballos
“We can collectively say that we are exploring every option,” said the Ehattesaht First Nation in a media release.
“It is hard [to] really wrap your mind around the work, it doesn’t happen very often so there isn’t a play book that covers this. But we know the waters here and the DFO staff have been working around these mammals for years so we will be bringing all that experience to each decision as we go.”
The collaboration between these Nations and the DFO has been trying to reunite the calf with her family as gently as possible while her health and safety remain top of mind.
They say that everyday they build plans and adjust them as needed while remembering that each new plan will be more complicated and will take more resources.
“We also want to be using the most effective options first to make sure we are protecting the little one,” the Nation said.
On Wednesday, March 27th, the Nations and DFO took a day of rest to prepare for Thursday when Ehattesaht paddlers will take canoes out into the lagoon.
Their hope is that kwiisaḥiʔis will connect with the sounds of their drummers and will follow them out over the sandbar safely.
The Ehattesaht say this has worked in the past.
“Our people need to process this with discussion and stories together,” said the Ehattesaht Nation.
“There really are two things going on at once. We are mourning the loss of the mother and we are trying to help the young one to find her family.”
They added that this is something that really resonates for their people—experiencing profound loss and then struggling to guide the next generation.
The Ehattesaht say that they hope by coming together with their surrounding communities and the DFO will allow for the right outcome.
Efforts to reunite orphaned whale calf near Zeballos with pod remain unsuccessful—the sand bar at the causeway continues to pose a barrier.
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Video by DFO pic.twitter.com/oc3pjCbc8d
— Victoria Buzz (@victoriabuzzes) March 28, 2024
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