Members of the Ehattesaht First Nation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Vancouver Aquarium have begun a rescue operation to move a stranded killer whale calf out of a remote Vancouver Island lagoon and into open water, the nation says.
The two-year-old female transient killer whale, known as kʷiisaḥiʔis (Brave Little Hunter), has been stuck in the tidal lagoon near the village of Zeballos, B.C., since March 23, when its pregnant mother became trapped by the low tide and died on a rocky beach.
Details of the operation are limited, but Paul Visser with the Ehattesaht First Nation confirmed with CBC News that the rescue is currently underway.
He said the rescue team met at 5 a.m. PT Friday.
“[They] set off with good hearts and intention for the day’s work,” he said.
Visser said the rescue will likely last all day.
WATCH | Planning for a complex rescue:
For nearly three weeks, an orca calf has been stuck in a remote lagoon off Vancouver Island. Crews are working around the clock to prepare for a complex rescue operation that will hopefully reunite the whale with her pod.
Calf to be transported in sling
For weeks, experts — including First Nation members, DFO marine mammal experts, whale scientists and boat and machine operators — have gathered in the small community of about 200 people to plan how to free the killer whale calf.
They have spent much of the past week in meetings preparing for a rescue attempt.
Yesterday, the DFO said in a release that it was planning to use a sling to lift kʷiisaḥiʔis out of the lagoon and transport the calf to open water.
The Ehattesaht First Nation said in a release that the whale’s health is at the forefront of all decisions.
“When we look at [kʷiisaḥiʔis] from a distance we can’t really see too many changes but her calls are certainly the hardest part of the past two weeks,” the release said.
“They are sorrowful and as they go unanswered, your heart sinks.”