Tahlequah: Bereaved whale spotted pushing another dead calf

A killer whale, which captured the world’s attention in 2018 when it was spotted pushing the dead body of its newborn calf for 17 days, appears to be grieving again.

The whale, known as Tahlequah, has lost another calf and is again pushing the body, according to the Center for Whale Research.

Tahlequah has this time been spotted off the coast of Washington state in the US.

Killer whales have been known to carry dead calves for a week but scientists in 2018 said Tahlequah had set a “record”.

The Center for Whale Research said the death of any calf was a “tremendous loss” but added that the death of Tahlequah’s newborn was “particularly devastating” given its history.

The centre, which studies the Southern Resident killer whale and works on its conservation, said Tahlequah had now lost two out of four documented calves – both of which were female.

Both Canada and the US list Southern Resident killer whales as endangered.

The whales depend on Chinook salmon – which have been in dramatic decline in recent years – for food.

Failures to reproduce are linked to nutrition and access to these salmon, according to research from the University of Washington.

Whales can travel an average of 120km (75 miles) a day.

The 2018 sighting of Tahlequah pushing a dead calf happened when it was off the shores of Victoria, British Columbia.