LOS ANGELES, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A newborn orca whale died shortly after its birth on Tuesday, and its mother mourned its death by supporting the dead baby on its forehead for three days, a whale research center reported on Thursday.
The calf came from an endangered clan of orcas, known as southern resident killer whales, and was born near British Columbia, Canada on Tuesday, according to Center for Whale Research (CWR), an organization focusing on orca surveys in the U.S. state of Washington.
The mother repeatedly brought the sinking calf back to the surface, supporting its body on her forehead, and pushed it toward an island.
"It's still happening," said Ken Balcomb, founder and principal investigator of CWR, on Thursday night, adding that he had never observed such a long time of mourning.
"It is horrible. This is an animal that is a sentient being. It understands the social bonds that it has with the rest of its family members. She carried the calf in her womb from 17 to 18 months, she is bonded to it and she doesn't want to let it go. It is that simple. She is grieving," Deborah Giles, research scientist for University of Washington Center for Conservation Biology, told local newspaper the Seattle Times.
According to the research organization, southern resident killer whales are facing a tough situation. Up to 75 percent of newborns over the past two decades have died, and no successful pregnancies have been observed in the past three years.
