TOFINO — A newborn orca spotted off the coast of Tofino looks healthy and adventurous, according to a whale-watching guide and researcher.
John Forde of the Tofino Whale Society and Strawberry Isle Marine Research Centre said the calf appears to have been born this past week.
A group of transient orcas were spotted near Meares Island on Tuesday, and the next morning a newborn calf was swimming with a female orca, Forde said.
Transient orcas travel along the Pacific coast — sometimes arriving in B.C. from as far away as Alaska and California — while resident orcas stay in southern B.C. and Washington waters.
Forde said any new calf is very exciting because orca numbers are endangered, although the transient population is more stable than the resident one. At least four calves have been born in the resident pods in the past seven months.
He isn’t sure whether the newborn is male or female but it is quite large, active and swimming close to its mother.
