Photos Of Mama Whale In Mourning As She Carries Calf's Body Around For 7 Days Is Unbearable To See

Aug 08, 2018 by apost team

Our sad story in the animal kingdom takes place in beautiful British Columbia where killer orca whales reside. This critically endangered species is an amazing group of creatures to observe. Near the community of Victoria, an orca named J35, age 20, had given birth to her calf. Unfortunately, the newborn didn't make it, only surviving for less than an hour. For this kind of whale, the gestation length (the time she carried the baby) averaged about 17 months.

The mama whale was heartbroken, and the touching video tells the incredible story for you to see. She couldn't bear to leave her calf behind, so she started carrying the dead newborn on her head as she swam through powerful ocean currents.

For at least seven days, the orca continued this ritual, and scientists studying the species took note. They observed the mama whale pushing her calf up to the water's surface.

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It was painful for humans to observe. Members of the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island saw that the dead calf would begin sinking to the ocean bottom because it had not developed its blubber to keep buoyant.

Dr. Deborah Giles with the nonprofit Wild Orca also recorded the event, suggesting that orcas are intelligent and understand the social bonds of the family like humans. Giles said it was an act of grieving; mama whale couldn't let baby go. Giles believes that other members of the orca pod knew that J35 was expecting because of how these magnificent creatures communicate through their sonar.

She thinks they were also grieving over the loss of the newborn calf. The whale experts could see that J35 was exhausted and hadn't eaten for days. If salmon isn't plentiful, these whales have pregnancy issues. The whale was so thin, Giles could see its skull shape through the blubber. She believes J35 will bounce back.

This is a spectacular video story for everyone to witness; keep it circulating..

What do you think of this heartbreaking video? Let us know in the comments.