Cause of death unknown after orca calf found dead on Vancouver Island coast
VANCOUVER — A female orca calf has been found dead on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Paul Cottrell of Fisheries and Oceans Canada said a surfer spotted the dead whale washed up on Mussel Beach near Ucluelet on Dec. 23 and called the department’s marine mammal incident hotline.
He said the 400-pound carcass was transferred to Abbotsford, B.C., where a necropsy was conducted on Christmas Day. Scientists are still awaiting results of tissue-sample testing and a cause of death is not yet known.
“It was just a tremendous effort by everyone involved, at a time when normally you’re with your family,” said Cottrell. “Everybody came together and made sure we got this animal looked at as quickly as possible.”