Tahlequah, the Southern Resident Orca who dominated headlines in 2018 for carrying her dead calf for 17 days, is once again carrying another calf in a “tour of grief.” The calf, J61, was born on Christmas Eve 2024, and was reported dead on New Year’s Day. The mother orca was seen carrying her dead calf again on January 10th, 2025. While this behavior is not uncommon among grieving orca mothers, scientists are not sure why Tahlequah has carried two calves for such a long duration, using energy that could otherwise be spent hunting. The tragic display has elicited a visceral reaction from the public far and wide as news outlets across the world have covered the story. 

Endangered Southern Resident Orcas, Tahlequah and her dead calf. NOAA photo.

Southern Resident orcas, also known as Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs), are unique in that they rely on Chinook salmon for the majority of their diet. Check out our previous blog on Idaho’s connection to SRKWs to better understand their behavior and reliance on Idaho’s Chinook salmon population. 

From the Seattle Times, How Tahlequah, her dead calf tell the story of climate change.

Southern Resident Killer Whales were first listed on the Endangered Species Act in 2005. Today, there are only 73 Southern Residents left in existence. Many factors have contributed to the decline in their population including toxins from pollutants, a lack of genetic diversity, and an increase in vessel traffic which disrupts their ability to hunt. However, we know that a lack of available, high-quality food, is one of the biggest threats facing the SRKWs.

The loss of another young orca, especially a female calf, is catastrophic in this small, struggling population of whales and emphasizes the need to urgently restore their primary prey, Chinook salmon. Over half the Chinook consumed by the Southern Residents when they are in coastal waters comes from the Columbia River Basin, and the Snake River once provided more than half of all Chinook in the Columbia. Removing the four Lower Snake River dams is a vital, centerpiece action to restoring these crucial salmon runs. Urgently advancing dam service replacement and salmon restoration projects in the near term will create immediate benefits for Northwest ecosystems and communities alike, paving the way to a salmon-abundant future for orcas.

When Tahlequah first carried her calf in 2018, Washington Governor Jay Inslee took action and created the Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery Taskforce to develop recommendations on how to protect and recover this unique population. While this taskforce originally stopped shy of recommending lower Snake River dam removal, Inslee’s office was helpful in the efforts in recent years. Now we need Governor Ferguson to do the same.  Additionally, just this year, Washington State has taken great strides in helping salmon and orca including a new rule requiring boats to stay over 1,000 feet away from SRKWs at all times and banning commercial net pens.

You can help these iconic species by taking action today! Tell Washington’s new Governor, Bob Ferguson, that we need urgent action to restore Snake River salmon and Washington’s iconic Southern Resident orcas. His leadership and support of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative are vital for these species and our northwest communities. 

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