ORCAS: Another Southern Resident Killer Whale missing

| West Seattle news | Whales | Wildlife

(L41, Northwest Marine Fisheries Center photo)

Just days after West Seattle whale-watchers enjoyed multiple orca visits, sad news: Another Southern Resident Killer Whale is missing. In its newest report on an “encounter” with resident orcas, the Center for Whale Research notes that L41 was not with his podmates and hasn’t been seen since August: “Given his age and that he looked a little thin in our January 2019 encounter, we fear he may be gone and will consider him missing unless he shows up unexpectedly in an upcoming encounter.” As noted in a WSB report four years ago, L41 has been a prolific patriarch among the SRKWs. He was born in 1977. If he has indeed died, that would bring the SRKWs’ number down to 72, just one above the historic low of 71. (Thanks to Kersti Muul for the tip.)

Yma January 28, 2020 (1:54 pm)

Oh sir, we honor & miss you.

Kersti Muul January 28, 2020 (2:51 pm)

L41 ‘Mega’ fathered a great deal of the southern resident population along with J1 ‘Ruffles’It will be very interesting to see how this plays out as other males now have the opportunity to enhance the gene pool.The lack of genetic diversity within the pods is one of their big issues.This is a game changer for the southern residents.

KM January 28, 2020 (4:42 pm)

How sad. I hope we can reverse the course for our SRKW before it’s too late.

Hide Behind January 29, 2020 (2:37 pm)

Nothing to be alarmed about a few thousand degrees ocean biologist are collecting the data on clipboards, since the big guy was born until he dies using all the latest techniques available for ap tops. Lots of meetins, seminars, plane and boat trips later not one orca was saved., nor any reasons, lots of unscientigic and theteby concidered worthless speculations, were found why they just keep dyingWhen last Orca is dead the laptops will be folded and all data transfered to those trainees in ocean biology, problem solved.And then will come the search for another disappearing life form, one that is worthy of collecting grants to collect data upon, what else, but a soon to disappear life form.And so goes the life and death struggles of data collectors.

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