Not a major news story but one
that's been playing out on the local
news quite a bit over the past month.
The news often will show the little orca
playing with driftwood or chasing her favorite
ferry [I think its the one that goes out
to Whidbey Island], weaving in and out in
front of the bow of the boat. <g>
Hope she makes but its not
looking good!
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scientists: Sick Orca Needs Help
By PEGGY ANDERSEN
.c The Associated Press
SEATTLE (AP) - Scientists advising
the federal government on a sick,
orphaned killer whale swimming alone in
central Puget Sound say she should be
captured and treated, but the government
wants some assurance that intervention would help.
Her symptoms could suggest a genetic problem
requiring continuing medication or a special
diet - impossible if she is returned to the wild.
The National Marine Fisheries Service has obtained
a blood sample for tests that could help make that
clear, and results are expected in about a week.
``We don't want to capture this whale knowing the
likely outcome is a one-way ticket to a display
facility somewhere,'' said NMFS spokesman Brian
Gorman.
On the other hand, if her health problems can be
resolved quickly, the Vancouver Aquarium has
agreed to help with her relocation to a net pen so
she can be treated in her natural environment.
Her family - known as A pod - usually spends June
to September near Vancouver Island, and ``we need to
get cracking'' to prepare for a possible reunion,
aquarium spokeswoman Angela Nielsen said.
Killer whales, members of the dolphin family,
are found in all the world's oceans, but A pod and
the other two pods that are resident along
the Northwest coast are struggling for survival,
with their population at 80, down from 98 in 1995.
Advocates say the orphan would be better off dead
than in captivity, and some doubt any
intervention is necessary. She has been hunting
steelhead near the state ferry dock since
she was spotted there in January.
Animal behaviorist Dave Bain, among the
scientists consulting with NMFS, said any
rehabilitation effort should begin right away.
``If what she has is curable and treatable her chances
of reintegration (with her pod) go down the
longer we wait,'' said Bain, an affiliate faculty
member in psychology at the University of Washington.
The young orca - named A-73 for pod and birth order -
has two apparent health problems. A skin ailment
has led to discoloration and sloughed skin over much
of her body, now nearing sensitive areas around
her blowhole and eyes. She also has ketosis,
breath thatsmells like paint thinner, which in
humans can mean starvation, diabetes - both
considered unlikely - or a complicated metabolic problem.
In addition, she is underweight and researchers
have found fecal parasites that could cause problems
if untreated.
Killer whales are highly social, and she is missing
out on education and bonding with her natal pod,
which apparently left her behind after her mother
died last year. A-pod is never seen in Puget Sound,
and she may have wandered in looking for food.
Gorman said she has no surviving siblings.
She plays with driftwood and sometimes rubs
herself against logs for three hours at a stretch,
an indication that she's lonely, scientists say.
She makes enough calls for scientists to identify
which pod she came from, but she's quieter than
other orcas because she has no one to communicate
with.
On the Net:
Orca Recovery Campaign: saveorcawhales.org
National Marine Fisheries Service: nwr.noaa.gov
Vancouver Aquarium: vanaqua.org
05/12/02 16:50 EDT
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. |
