Over the weekend, the stranded and orphaned orca who is stuck in a lagoon near Zeballos was observed eating, albeit she was eating food not typically in a Bigg’s killer whale’s diet.
kʷiisaḥiʔis, or Brave Little Hunter, has now been trapped in the lagoon for nearly an entire month and is blocked in by a sandbar which her mother got beached upon and died.
Since March 23rd, the Ehattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations as well as Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) have been trying to coax kʷiisaḥiʔis out of the lagoon, but tides, weather and the remote nature of the location have impeded all efforts thus far.
On Thursday, April 18th, the DFO say she was observed taking and eating seal meat offered by the Ehattesaht Nation.
Because she was seen eating this offered food, the involved parties in her rescue decided it would be best to cancel any plans to relocate her over the weekend, as the last several attempts have been unsuccessful.
“From day one, the team has been adapting to new information and changing the operational plans accordingly,” said a DFO spokesperson in a media release.
“kʷiisaḥiʔis taking the seal is a significant development.”
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Several forms of technology are being constantly utilized by the DFO in order to monitor kʷiisaḥiʔis’ health, including night vision goggles, constant surface sound and hydrophonic recording (underwater microphones), drone coverage and thermal imaging.
Over the weekend, kʷiisaḥiʔis was observed eating more seal meat offered to her and also was seen eating some herring that was in the lagoon with her.
The DFO says that Bigg’s killer whales usually eat a diet of marine mammals, such as seals. They added that it is uncommon to see prey-switching within the species.
They say this observation demonstrates kʷiisaḥiʔis’ adaptability and will inform the team’s operational plans to support a successful response.
“We have always wondered if she had been eating and there were early indications that she had grabbed a duck but the attempts at feeding seal were ignored until she was observed eating seal for the first time on Thursday,” said the Ehattesaht First Nation in a media release.
“Since then the Team have been trying to keep a bit of [a] closer watch on her to see if there are some behaviour changes, energy improvements or in differences in her body shape.”
The DFO wants to remind people that it is illegal to feed marine mammals and that this rescue effort is a rare occurrence.
The penalty for feeding marine mammals is typically a hefty fine.
More to come as the involved parties determine their next steps in the young orphaned orca’s rescue.
