An endangered orca is not letting go of her newborn calf, whose body she has been pushing through the water for more than two weeks.
The whale known as J35 was spotted in coastal waters near the border between British Columbia and Washington state Wednesday with the carcass of her calf that was born and died on July 24.
FILE – In this file photo taken Tuesday, July 24, 2018, provided by the Center for Whale Research, a baby orca whale is being pushed by her mother after being born off the Canada coast near Victoria, British Columbia. Whale researchers are keeping close watch on an endangered orca that has spent the past week carrying and keeping her dead calf afloat in Pacific Northwest waters. The display has struck an emotional chord around the world and highlighted the plight of the declining population of southern resident killer whales that has not seen a successful birth since 2015.(Michael Weiss/Center for Whale Research via AP)
Sheila Thornton with Fisheries and Oceans Canada says scientists are becoming concerned that the whale's behaviour will interfere with her ability to forage, but no intervention in planned.
They spotted J35 while searching for another of the 75 southern resident killer whales, labelled an endangered species in both Canada and the United States.
Scientists on both sides of the border have been working together on an emergency rescue plan for a young female orca known as J50, that appears emaciated but continues to swim alongside her mother.
Brad Hanson of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says difficult conditions have prevented the teams from collecting breath and fecal samples but they are hoping weather conditions improve by Sunday.
