Achi news desk-
The race is on to reunite an orphaned orca calf with its pod after its mother died tragically at the weekend.
The whale became stranded in a shallow area near Zeballos on Vancouver Island early Saturday.
Despite a community effort, local people were unable to move the orca to deeper water in time.
On Sunday, community members continued to mourn the tragedy.
Officials said the calf was still in the area without its mother or members of its pod.
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“We’re going to monitor the situation,” Jared Towers, executive director of Bay Cetology, told Global News.
“If the calf goes out on its own at high tide, that would be great, but very unlikely, so we may have to trick it.
“They often hunt in shallow waters and unfortunately, it was a dangerous place to be at the wrong time.”
Department of Fisheries and Oceans staff are still at the scene.
By Sunday afternoon, the mother whale was being pulled out of the area.
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