The Ehattesaht First Nation has finally been able to deliver good news that the orca has escaped after being orphaned and trapped in the lagoon where her mother was beached and died.
After just over a month in the lagoon where her mother died on March 23rd, kwiisaḥiʔis, or Brave Little Hunter swam past the sandbar which was blocking her in during high tide.
According to the Ehattesaht Nation, the water was glass calm and the night’s sky was star-filled during her journey out of the lagoon, past the bridge and down the Espinosa Inlet.
They say that kwiisaḥiʔis had been playing and breaching all night near the causeway and sandbar which trapped her in.
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“After most everyone had left to get some sleep the small group who remained stood as witnesses to watch her swim under the bridge and down the inlet,” wrote the Ehattesaht Nation in a press release.
“The team later found her in Espinosa Inlet and followed her from a distance as she [moved] toward Esperanza Inlet proper.”
During the morning of Friday, April 26th, the Nation says they will try to coax her out of the inlet and out into the open ocean.
Further, the team which has been aiding in her escape from the lagoon will be taking measures to ensure she is not bothered by boats or people as she now needs to focus on finding her familial pod.
“With this part of the [challenge] solved by kwiisaḥiʔis herself every opportunity needs to be afforded to have her back with her family with as little human interaction as possible,” say the Ehattesaht Nation.
They continued by saying that this situation will continue to be of utmost significance for generations to come, as it demonstrates the deep connection between the spirit world and the animal world to them.
