Chief says rescue effort for stranded orca calf four, five days away as plans ramp up

Plans are settling into place for an attempt to rescue a young killer whale calf stranded in a tidal lagoon near the Vancouver Island village of Zeballos within four or five days, says the area’s First Nation chief. Ehattesaht Chief Simon John has previously said the plan to remove the female orca calf from the … Read more

Helicopter to airlift stranded orca out of B.C. lagoon

Plans are now underway to airlift a stranded killer whale calf out of a remote tidal lagoon off northern Vancouver Island in an effort to reunite the young orca with its extended family. Fisheries Department and First Nations officials say the plans involve placing the two-year-old calf into a sling, lifting it out of the … Read more

Beached orca in B.C. dies despite life-saving efforts

A female killer whale that beached on northern Vancouver Island died on Saturday despite efforts by the community to push the mammal back into the water. Video of the incident, which occurred near the village of Zeballos on the island’s northwest coast, shows dozens of people trying to save the stranded orca. The female orca was stranded on shore … Read more

These are the 1st images of humpbacks having sex, and they’re both males

As It Happens6:291st images humpback whale sex is between 2 males When biologist Stephanie Stack first saw the photographs of two humpback whales mating in the warm waters of Hawaii, she says her mind was “completely blown.” “When I realized that it was two males, it was not what I was expecting,” she told As … Read more

Hypothermic turtle rescued in B.C. waters in first sighting since 2015

When B.C. marine scientist Anna Hall encountered a very lost loggerhead turtle in waters near Victoria over the weekend, she knew it faced a grim fate at sea. “The turtle would not have survived,” said Hall, principal scientist at consulting group Sea View Marine Sciences. “Had the turtle stayed in the ocean, either it would have … Read more