Orca's ocean escape from B.C. lagoon will be talked about for generations, says First Nation [View all]

An orphaned killer whale calf's escape from a remote Vancouver Island tidal lagoon, where it had been trapped for more than a month, is likely to reverberate for First Nations in Canada, according to those involved in the rescue.

The orca has been the focus of intense rescue efforts since March 23, when her pregnant mother became stranded on a rocky beach and died near the bridge in the small inlet next to the community of Zeballos, B.C., more than 450 kilometres northwest of Victoria.

The calf, named kʷiisaḥiʔis or Brave Little Hunter by First Nations, chose a "clear and glass-calm, star-filled night" at about 2:30 a.m. PT to swim under a bridge and down the inlet, according to a joint statement from the Ehattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations.

The young orca's behaviour changed almost at the moment she passed under the bridge and headed for the open ocean, said Paul Cottrell, a marine mammal co-ordinator with the Fisheries Department.

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"Her behaviour, her acoustics changed. She actually sped away from the boat and moved into Esperanza Inlet and really took off from the group."

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/orca-escape-generational-impact-1.7187235