Crews attempting to treat sick orca
Sep 4, 2018, 5:25 PM | Updated: 5:26 pm
Fisheries and Oceans Canada spotted J50 and her pod near the west entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca in early August. (Katy Foster/NOAA Fisheries)
(Katy Foster/NOAA Fisheries)
J50, the sick orca, is with her pod in Canadian waters on Tuesday.
Researchers injected her with antibiotics Monday and hoped to follow up with a dewormer on Tuesday.
Veterinarians believe the dewormer should help J50 reduce burdens to her system and allow her to start regaining weight that she’s lost. NOAA says dewormer and antibiotics have proven safe and successful in other whales.
NOAA spokesman Jim Milbury says J50, also known as Scarlet, is still in bad shape, but she’s a tough little orca.
“With the peanut head condition in the back and the emaciation, I think people are a little surprised that she is doing as well as she is at this point,” Milbury said.
After fears that she had died, J50 was spotted in Hein Bank – waters off of San Juan Island – on Monday.
The four-year-old calf is part of the endangered local Southern Resident pod of killer whales. There are only 75 left, according to NOAA. Attention turned to J50 after another calf in her pod died on July 24. The dead calf’s mother, J35, carried its carcass for more than two weeks as it appeared to grieve.
The Lummi Nation attempted to feed live salmon from a boat to J50 on Aug. 12, but it’s unclear if she ate.
