Drone video shows newest member of endangered Southern Resident orca
VANCOUVER ISLAND, B.C. - The newest member of the endangered Southern Resident killer whales was captured in new drone footage collected through a joint research project involving the SeaDoc Society, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and NOAA Fisheries.
L128, is the newest calf, whose birth was announced earlier this month when spotted by whale watchers located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
It appears that L90 is the young orca’s mother, marking her first successful calf – a rarity given her age of 30.
According to the Center for Whale Research, it’s believed that L128 was born this month as she appeared to be very small upon her first sighting mid-month.
It is news that experts are watching closely, as the L-Pod is the smallest of the three groupings that make up the entirety of the remaining Southern Resident orcas.
She has since been spotted near her mother as she hunts for salmon in open waters.
A research team recently spent two weeks on the water studying the Southern Residents, allowing for the capture of the newly released videos.
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