An orca named J35 has finally dropped her dead calf, which she'd been pushing with her head for at least 17 days and 1,000 miles off the Pacific Northwest coast, in an unprecedented show of mourning that drew international attention. 
 
 The sad spectacle was a prime example, and confirmation, of the complex emotional lives of these sophisticated cetaceans, experts say. 
 
 Other orcas, and similar animals like dolphins, have been seen apparently mourning their dead, but this is by far the longest recorded example of such behavior. 
 
 J35, nicknamed Tahlequah, is a 20-year-old member of the long-studied J Pod of Southern Resident Killer Whales. These orcas, along with their endangered extended family—K and L pods—inhabit a huge territory that includes waters off Seattle, Vancouver, and Victoria, British Columbia. 
 
 Researchers worried that this "tour of grief" might seriously endanger the health of J35, but luckily, she appears to have made it through physically unharmed. "Telephoto digital images taken from shore show that this mother whale appears to be in good physical condition," the Center for Whale Research noted in an update, "following her record-setting ordeal. 
 
 As J35’s sojourn continued, some experts wondered why she was so attached to the calf. Was it because the calf lived for about 30 minutes after it was born? Jenny Atkinson, executive director of The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, British Columbi, thinks the grief Tahlequah is feeling is deeper because after 17 months of gestation, she then had the chance to form an emotional connection with her baby before it died. 
 
 “I think that’s quite possible,” says John Ford, an orca researcher at the University of British Columbia. “The whales have a very strong drive to look after their offspring and this evidently extends to neonates that die at birth.” 
 
 The death of another calf is a significant blow to J Pod, which hasn’t seen a successful birth in three years. Combined, the three pods have 75 members, and time is running out to maintain its viability. Ken Balcomb, founder and principal investigator at the Center for Whale Research, gives it five years. 
 
 “We’ve got at most five more years of reproductive life in this population to make it happen”—meaning, to have viable offspring—"but if we don’t do it in those five years it isn’t going to happen,” he writes. 
 
 View Images J35 carried her calf for at least 17 days and 1,000 miles, and researchers had worried she'd endangered herself by expending so much effort. But now she appears in good health. Photograph courtesy Center for Whale Research (Permit #21238) 
 
 Balcomb points to a lack of food as the culprit. “We have long demonstrated that these fish-eating whales are getting skinnier and skinnier, and the death rate is increasing,” he writes on the center’s website. 
 
 “Whales in this endangered population are dependent upon Chinook salmon for their primary food source. Unfortunately, Chinook salmon are also endangered,” he adds. 
 
 Experts expressed relief that J35 survived. As a 20-year-old in her prime, the pod needs her to reproduce. 
 
 “Even without this death, this is a population in crisis,” Atkinson says. “They need our stewardship and support if they are to survive.” ||||| Please enable Javascript to watch this video 
 
 FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash. -- A southern resident orca mother carried her dead calf in the waters off Washington's coast for a 10th straight day Thursday, in what researchers are calling a "tour of grief." 
 
 Affiliates of the Center for Whale Research spotted J35 - known as Tahlequah - carrying her dead calf in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, according to Taylor Shedd of Soundwatch. She trailed slightly behind the main J-Pod, but was accompanied by her immediate family. 
 
 The whales appeared to be headed west to open waters. 
 
 J35 was first spotted July 24 carrying the calf on her nose and in her mouth. The calf was only seen alive briefly. By the time biologists from the Center for Whale Research arrived at her side, the calf was dead. 
 
 On Wednesday, the calf was seen decomposing and had lots its rigidity. 
 
 Shedd told Q13 News he asked whale watching vessels to keep their distance from J35 and J50, a 4-year-old orca that was seen earlier this month severely emaciated. 
 
 Please enable Javascript to watch this video 
 
 Michael Weiss, a field biologist with the Center for Whale Research, said whale watching boats were mostly voluntarily keeping their distance from the grieving orca. 
 
 Researchers across the field said J35's actions are unprecedented. The traumatic scene unfolding day after day has weighed on scientists who watch the mammals closely. 
 
 "As it's gone on, it's become less shocking," Weiss said. "It's no less sad and I think we're all just tired. Everyone who is on the water with her hopes that she will let it go soon." 
 
 J35 is in OK shape, and her breathing has grown less labored as the days go on. She is being fed with the help of her close family, Weiss said. And her son, J47, hasn't moved far from her side. 
 
 "I find it very interesting to watch," Weiss said of the close relationship between J35 and J47. 
 
 An audio recording of what appeared to be J35 making "mournful and prominent" calls was given to Q13 News by Michael Harris, a well known marine expert and conservationist. 
 
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 Q13 News will update this story at 4 and 5 p.m. ||||| As an orca mother shoulders her dead calf through the coastal waters of British Columbia and Washington state for a ninth day, government officials, scientists and volunteers are warning off vessels approaching the grieving whale and her pod. 
 
 "We've had enforcement folks out every day to ensure that where there may be boating behaviour that's not appropriate,” Department of Fisheries and Oceans marine mammal co-ordinator Paul Cottrell told CTV News. “[Boaters] are being educated and also dealt with." 
 
 The sight of the whale, labeled J35, has generated international interest with the poignant photos of the orca gently raising her calf above the water’s surface. This type of grieving ritual is well-documented, but J35 has carried it out much longer than scientists have observed before. 
 
 J-pod, the group of 75 related Southern Resident killer whales, has followed J35 through the Salish Sea during the grieving ritual. Scientists believe they’re feeding the mourning mother from their own salmon catch as she remains fixated on the calf. But officials are increasingly concerned she’s exhausting herself by continuing the funereal tour through local waters. 
 
 “[It’s a matter of] the sheer amount of effort J35 is expending with maintaining the calf in tow and also diving down as it sinks to pick it back up," explains Cottrell. 
 
 J35 gave birth off Victoria’s Clover Point on July 24. Officials still aren’t sure if the female calf was stillborn or died shortly after and are counting on a necropsy to determine when she died and why. 
 
 A sprawling joint effort between Canadian and American volunteers and federal officials is tracking the pod as they criss-cross through the Gulf and San Juan Islands and even approach populated areas. On Monday, Taylor Shedd documented J35 shepherding the dead calf in the waters near Deltaport with the piles of coal and cranes visible in the background. 
 
 Officials aren’t revealing the exact location of the pod at this point out of concern more boaters will want to see the grieving whale for themselves, only saying J35 and her pod are in Canadian waters and under the jurisdiction of DFO. 
 
 While the agency is warning mariners to stay away from J-pod, they ask anyone who sees a whale in distress from the water or shore to immediately report it to their incident line at 1-800-465-4335. A quick response could mean the difference between successful intervention and a long, drawn-out search for an injured mammal. 
 
 Not only has the calf’s brief life tugged at international heartstrings, it’s triggered more concern among the scientific community. Despite a baby boom three years ago, none of the orca calves born to the resident killer whale group since the start of 2016 has survived and their preferred food source of fatty chinook salmon continues to dwindle. 
 
 Researchers such as Victoria marine zoologist Dr. Anna Hall say the salmon will ultimately be their key to survival. 
 
 “All of the actions that have taken place to date are terrific and we need to keep moving forward,” she told CTV News last week. “One of the important messages is continuing to make sure there are sufficient salmon particularly chinook salmon for the killer whales.” 
 
 There are only 75 whales in J-pod, and a four year-old whale known as J-50 is cause for concern as the youngster looks underfed to trained observers tracking the group. Researchers plan to use photogrammetry from a distance in the coming days to see how she’s faring. 
 
 That won’t happen until J35 gives up her dead calf and moves on. 
 
 “It’s a sad situation,” says Cottrell, who’s urging long weekend mariners to steer clear. 
 
 “We want people to respect the rules and the regulations put in place to ensure [the whales] are protected and they're not disturbed and they can do what they need to do. We want this population to thrive and recover." ||||| Members of a pod of endangered killer whales now appear to be taking turns floating the body of a newborn calf that died more than week ago. 
 
 As It Happens reported on Friday about J-35, a mother orca from B.C.'s endangered killer whale population that has been balancing her dead calf on her nose near San Juan Island, Wash. 
 
 It's now been more than a week and the mother whale is still carrying the calf's remains — sparking concerns among researchers that she'll tire herself out. 
 
 "We do know her family is sharing the responsibility of caring for this calf, that she's not always the one carrying it, that they seem to take turns," Jenny Atkinson, director of the Whale Museum on San Juan Island, told As It Happens guest host Piya Chattopadhyay. 
 
 "While we don't have photos of the other whales carrying it, because we've seen her so many times without the calf, we know that somebody else has it." 
 
 New audio released 
 
 The Whale Museum released an audio recording on Monday of the mother communicating with her pod. 
 
 "You're hearing them communicate with one another. They're using a series of calls and whistles to communicate. And then you'll hear a clicking noise. That's echo-location," Atkinson said. 
 
 "They use it to pick up their food source as well as map their underwater environment." 
 
 The Whale Museum recorded the sound of the killer whale pod communicating to each other off San Juan Island, using geo-location to alert each other to potential obstacles and food sources. 0:20 
 
 She said it's possible the sounds are related to their mourning of the calf — but researchers can't know for sure. 
 
 "We picked up some calls earlier in the week and we hear things that sounded more like a very urgent call," she said. "If you think of going to a wake for a family, things can go on for multiple days and the grief is still deep, but the emotions kind of soften." 
 
 A whale funeral 
 
 That's exactly what Atkinson believes the whales are doing with the calf — holding their own version of a wake or a funeral. 
 
 "Ceremonies can go on for days to honour and mourn the loss of a loved one," she said. "I think that what you're seeing is the depth of importance of this calf and the grief of the mother and the family." 
 
 This July 25 photo shows the orca mother, J35, balancing her dead baby on her nose trying to keep it afloat. (Ken Balcomb/Centre for Whale Research) 
 
 Anthropologist Barbara King, who studies animal emotion, agrees the whale's behaviour is likely a display of grief. 
 
 There is a body of evidence that shows whales and dolphins mark the passing of their dead, King told CBC's On The Coast. 
 
 Sometimes they will surround dead companions, showing curiosity or exploration, King said. Other times, it goes further: they keep vigils around the bodies of dead podmates or keep them afloat. 
 
 "It's not anthropomorphic to use this label for them," King said. "Grief and love are not human qualities. They're things we share with some other animals." 
 
 Population in crisis 
 
 The southern resident killer whale population consists of three orca pods that live around the coast of Oregon, Washington and Vancouver Island. 
 
 Their numbers are dwindling and they haven't have a successful birth since 2015. 
 
 After the death of a 23-year-old orca June, the total number of southern resident killer whales is down to 75, the lowest it's been since the early '80s. The population has dropped by eight since 2016. 
 
 This orca mother has been holding her dead calf afloat for more than a week in a "heartbreaking" ritual.<br><br>Read more at <a href="https://t.co/LPrUsQCzDj">https://t.co/LPrUsQCzDj</a> <a href="https://t.co/FgsHnWrgTw">pic.twitter.com/FgsHnWrgTw</a> —@CBCNews 
 
 Their decline is attributed largely to a lack of available chinook salmon, their primary food source. 
 
 Researchers are already worried that another young whale in the pod — J-50 — could be the next to die. The four-year-old is becoming increasingly emaciated. 
 
 "I don't see how she can survive," Dave Ellifrit of the Center for Whale Research, told the Seattle Times. 
 
 In May, Canada's federal government announced plans to cut the allowable catch of chinook by 25 to 35 per cent. 
 
 In June, it announced further measures to help the endangered population, including reducing underwater vessel noise and better monitoring of pollution. 
 
 Human empathy 
 
 Atkinson said it's not hard to see why people have had such visceral reactions to images of J-35 and her calf. 
 
 "Watching what she's going through, most people have been through some level of grief and have had some situation that this touches, because they can understand losing a child, losing a calf, and how heart-wrenching that is," she said. 
 
 "And then not to be able to do anything when humans like to take action. We like to be able to do stuff. Sometimes the hardest thing is just to sit back and give respect and be a witness to a situation." 
 
 Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview with Jenny Atkinson produced by Samantha Lui.
– An orca who spent more than a week carrying her calf following its July 24 death now has some help. Other orcas in the pod swimming through Pacific Northwest waters near the US-Canada border are taking turns carrying the corpse after the effort caused the 20-year-old mother known as J35 to fall behind with labored breathing. Trailing the main pod with improved breathing, J35 was seen with the now-decomposing corpse Thursday in the Strait of Juan de Fuca alongside immediate family members who are keeping her fed, per KCPQ. But "because we've seen her so many times without the calf, we know that somebody else has it," Jenny Atkinson of San Juan Island's Whale Museum tells the CBC. The same pod held a similar display 15 years ago, but this is the longest period of orca mourning on record, per National Geographic. Audio recordings indeed suggest the pod is using calls and whistles perhaps related to mourning. They sound "more like a very urgent call," says Atkinson. "I think that what you're seeing is the depth of importance of this calf and the grief of the mother and the family." It's a tight-knit one: There are just 75 orcas in three pods in the southern resident population around Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver Island, down from 83 in 2016. None have seen a successful birth since 2015. Amid indications a 4-year-old orca might be starving, an expert describes "at most five more years" in which to try to birth viable offspring. Declines in Chinook salmon have hit the population hard, per Nat Geo. Canada hopes to lend a hand by limiting catches of the fish, while experts hope a necropsy will reveal how J35's calf died, per CTV News. Of course, it must be abandoned first.