Search for B.C. orca calf's pod, ahead of rescue that could occur next week: chief

The orphaned orca calf who was stranded after its pregnant mother died after being caught on a gravel bed when the tide went out more than 12 days ago is spotted in a lagoon near Zeballos, B.C., Thursday, April 4, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Rescuers will be searching waters off Vancouver Island for the family of an orca calf stranded in a lagoon, in the hopes to reuniting them with the young whale after a rescue attempt that could happen next week.

Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John says he expects a Jet Ranger helicopter to be used to locate the family pod of the orphaned calf that has been stuck in the lagoon at Little Espinosa Inlet since March 23, when its mother became trapped on a rocky beach at low tide and died.

The First Nation uses the helicopter mainly for forestry work, John says in a statement.

John says equipment for the planned rescue has started to arrive in the remote community of Zeballos, located more than 450 kilometres north of Victoria.

A heavy lift machine the First Nation also uses in forestry work will arrive in Zeballos this weekend and could be used in the rescue effort.

He says a large seine net more than 270 metres long arrived from Campbell River Thursday and is expected to be used to corral the young killer whale in a shallow area of the lagoon, before it's put in a sling and transported to a pen in ocean waters.

The rescue team is waiting for the arrival of the net pen similar to those used by B.C. salmon farms to house the young orca at a yet-to-be-determined location, John says.

He says the highly orchestrated rescue attempt could happen next week, as the clock ticks to save the two-year-old calf.

John says earlier plans to use a helicopter to lift the killer whale calf out of the lagoon have been overtaken by the effort to move it from the lagoon to the net pen by a specially outfitted vehicle, landing craft or boat.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2024.