An orca calf that has been stranded in a British Columbia lagoon for weeks after the death of its pregnant mother swam alone early Friday morning.

In a statement, Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John said the calf swam around 2:30 a.m. during high tide. Multiple attempts have been made to rescue the orca since it became trapped in late March.

The statement said a team fed the two-year-old calf, which has been named kʷiisaḥiʔis – or Brave Little Hunter – and was “treated to a long night” in which the whale “crossed and played at the end of the lagoon near the road”. bridge.”

“After almost everyone went to get some sleep, the small group that remained stood as witnesses to watch her swim under the bridge and down the inlet,” the statement said. “The team later found her in Espinosa Inlet and tracked her from a distance.” her as she moved toward Esperanza Inlet proper. This morning she will be encouraged to set out for the open sea, where her family is expected to hear the calls of the Brave Little Hunter.”

Rescue efforts began last month in the Vancouver Island town of Zeballos, about 450 kilometers northwest of Victoria. The young whale swam to the area with her mother, who became stranded on a sandbar while she was hunting and died.

An attempt to free the animal from the lagoon included using a net to corral it in a large cloth sling in shallow water. But the whale managed to elude a 50-person rescue team using boats, divers and sophisticated underwater detection equipment.

Other approaches were even more creative: A Nanaimo woman tried to lure the whale out of the lagoon by playing her violin during high tide.

Officials say the goal now will be to help the whale reunite with its pod.

Ehattesaht’s statement says there will be more patrols to ensure the calf does not come into contact with boats or people. Local nations and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans ask the public to stay away from the area.

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