SEATTLE – Puget Sound’s endangered resident orcas have welcomed yet another new addition.
The Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor confirmed on its Facebook page this weekend that a newborn orca designated as J53 was seen traveling Saturday in Haro Strait with a 38-year-old orca known as Princess Angeline.
Conservationists are thrilled. It’s the sixth baby born to Puget Sound’s three orca pods since last December, boosting their numbers to 82.
Michael Harris, the executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, says the whale watch community is referring to the baby boom as the “class of 2015.”
There could be more babies on the way. Federal biologists recently used drones to take thousands of images of the orcas, and they said several appeared to be pregnant.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.