When I first heard about this story, I was heartbroken but it just got a little sadder. The orca known as Tahlequah and J35 was seen swimming alone for the first time since July 24th according to TMZ. That’s the day Tahlequah gave birth to her deceased calf and was so upset, she carried it around with her until yesterday morning. She was seen chasing a school of salmon near British Columbia without her baby for the first time in 17 days and 1,000 miles. According to the Center for Whale Research, mothers can carry their dead babies with them for up to a week while they are grieving but this amount of time was unheard of.
It was being called the “Tour Of Grief”…so sad.
August 11, 2018
J35 update: "The ordeal of J35 carrying her dead calf for at least seventeen days and 1,000 miles is now over, thank goodness."
– Ken Balcomb, Center for Whale Researchhttps://t.co/kQpA4WWbmg pic.twitter.com/cQIN13HgN6— Whale Research (@CWROrcas) August 12, 2018