Capture advised for orphan orca

Associated Press

SEATTLE — Scientists monitoring the ailing, orphaned killer whale who’s been in central Puget Sound since at least mid-January recommended Monday that she be captured for a more hands-on assessment of her health, and then moved near her family in Canada.

But the government is still weighing whether to intervene at all. The National Marine Fisheries Service, which arranged Monday’s teleconference with the advisory group, expects to make a decision soon, said spokeswoman Janet Sears.

"We don’t want to say anything more than ‘soon’ right now," she said.

"We have to balance all this. There’s certainly a risk to capture. Something could happen at any step in this process," Sears said. NMFS also needs to consider "the contingencies should lengthy treatment be required."

Sears said the scientists — U.S. and Canadian researchers from the public and private sector, activist observers and staff from the Vancouver, British Columbia, Aquarium — "pretty unanimously suggested we capture her, figure out what’s wrong with her and treat her, and try to reunite her with her pod," which summers near British Columbia’s Vancouver Island.

The confinement in a Seattle-area net pen would be short-term — a week or two, perhaps, "the amount of time it would take to diagnose her."

If she does not rejoin her family — they may not welcome her back after her months alone — the consensus is she likely will be better off in her home waters than in busy Puget Sound, where she has settled near the Vashon Island ferry dock.

"The scientists are saying that’s as good a place or better than here," said Kathy Fletcher with the nonprofit People for Puget Sound, who listened in on part of the discussion. "They would not attempt to keep her in confinement up there — they would just let her go."

An earlier intervention plan had involved a three-stage move in net pens — capture, a stint near Vancouver for care by Vancouver Aquarium veterinary personnel and finally relocation in Johnstone Strait for eventual release.

Monday’s recommendation would eliminate the middle step and simplify the process.

"This is still obviously not a completely well and thriving animal," Sears noted.

The young female — dubbed A-73 for her birth order in A-pod — is underweight and has a worsening skin condition that could become serious. Her breath smells like paint thinner, a symptom called ketosis that in humans can indicate starvation, diabetes or a serious metabolic problem — all problems ruled out by observation and blood-test results.

"There are a lot of things we don’t know about killer whales," Sears said. "We have to do our best … while bothering her as little as possible."

Solitude is not normal for these intelligent, highly social animals. Orphaned last year, A-73 may have become separated from her family group simply because she could not keep up. Her pod never ventures into Puget Sound — she may have wandered south searching for food.

A-73 spends her days catching steelhead, loafing near the surface, and sometimes spending hours rubbing against sticks or logs, possibly because she craves physical contact that would be occurring if she were with her family group.

Some activists are adamant she be left alone, fearing intervention could result in a lifetime in captivity.

Others are calling for action, including the Vancouver Aquarium, which has committed expertise and staff once the orca is back in Canadian waters.

"We really don’t have the luxury to say, ‘Leave this animal alone’ because we’ve already been heavily involved in making this population the most polluted in the world," said Fred Felleman with the Orca Conservancy. "There’s a benefit to science to seeing if it can be reunited … and also an opportunity to sort of do right by this population."

While solo juvenile orcas are rare, scientists are aware of two in the region this year — A-73 and L-98, a male from L-pod based near Washington’s San Juan Islands who has been living on the west side of Canada’s Vancouver Island since last fall.

Activists are seeking endangered-species protection for the 78 orcas in three San Juan Island pods, which are struggling with pollution and dwindling populations of salmon, their primary food.

Orcas, actually a kind of dolphin, are found in all the world’s oceans.

Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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