VANCOUVER—A biologist from the University of British Columbia is urging the public not to get “distracted” by the plight of a sickly orca, as her death or survival will do little to change the larger problem.
Researchers almost lost hope when four-year-old J-50 went missing for two days this past weekend in the Salish Sea. The emaciated youngster is a member of the endangered southern resident killer whale population — there are just 75 in existence — and has been the subject of an ambitious cross-border effort to save her this summer.
To researchers’ relief, J-50 was spotted with her family Monday morning and the veterinary team was able to give her a second dose of antibiotics.
But efforts to feed the whale live fish laced with antibiotics and track her in person day to day show it is too little, too late, said Adam T. Ford, a conservation biologist with the University of British Columbia.
“It’s an act of compassion to intervene with this one individual but we have to keep our mind on the big picture,” he said. “It just seems like a bit of a Band-Aid.”
Experts agree that saving one whale will not save her, her family or the population from other threats like toxins, vessel noise and a lack of food. Scientists have long been calling for action to save the southern resident killer whales.
But Ford took it one step further and said dedicating such herculean efforts to save J-50, this late in the game, is not a sign of success.
“(The whales’) decline started long ago,” said Ford. “People need to understand that the time to act is not when the house is on fire.”
And yet some scientists point to the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision to suspend the Trans Mountain Pipeline project as evidence that a few orcas’ public display of suffering this summer can make a big difference.
Meanwhile, the veterinarian who has been treating J-50 said that when a population of animals has dwindled to the dozens, each and every animal is precious.
“I do strongly believe that it has come to this point where we have to worry about individuals in order to save the population,” said Dr. Martin Haulena, head veterinarian with the Vancouver Aquarium.
J-50 was still emaciated but keeping up with her mother and brother Monday, he said. Coupled with her two-day absence from the pod on Saturday and Sunday, the rescue team has reason to be on high alert.
“It really raised some alarm bells,” said Haulena.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it plans to administer a dose of dewormer to J-50 if conditions are right Tuesday.
Haulena acknowledged that authorities need to enact bigger policy changes if they are serious about saving the whole population of endangered whales. But right now, he and the rest of the team of American and Canadian scientists are focused on saving young J-50.
Experts say the young female orca is an important individual because there are so few animals of breeding age left in the three family groups, or pods, that make up the southern resident killer whale population. Veterinarians are already considering their options if J-50’s condition changes dramatically in the coming days and weeks.
“If she strands up on a beach, then we switch gears immediately,” said Haulena, who has attended numerous whale strandings in the past.
The team is also looking at what it can do if J-50 becomes too weak to dive or swim properly.
It’s a “grey area,” said Haulena, where the whale’s only chance of survival could come from veterinarians intervening more directly and taking a blood sample, for instance.
But that would require humans to actually put hands on her, said Haulena. All treatment for J-50 so far has been done from a boat; there has been no physical contact. Only the Canadian and American governments are able to make the decision to allow veterinarians to jump into the water with J-50, said Haulena.
Ford is hopeful the ongoing spotlight on J-50 and her fellow pod member, J-35, who carried her dead newborn’s body for weeks this summer, will help people understand that the whole ocean needs help.
The iconic whales have that potential, he said.
“There is a whole ecosystem of change that is happening in the ocean, and people need to be vigilant and not get distracted by one animal,” he said.
“I hope the people behind this will use this momentum and seize it to make some meaningful change.”