By The Associated Press
FRIDAY HARBOR — A scientist who tracks a family of endangered orcas that frequent the Strait of Juan de Fuca, San Juan Islands and Puget Sound says he’s spotted a second baby born to the killer whale pod in the past two months.
Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research confirmed the newborn in J-pod after it was spotted Thursday in the Strait.
He says the week-old calf dubbed J-51 appears healthy. The presumed mother is 36-year-old J-19. The calf’s gender is not yet known.
Balcomb says two J-pod members were seen swimming protectively alongside the new calf.
The new addition joins J-50, a new J-pod baby spotted in late December.
The two bring Puget Sound’s southern resident orca population to 79, which is still dangerously low. J-pod now has 26 members. K-pod has 19 whales and L-pod has 34.
A 19-year-old female from J-pod died in early December.
