Local conservationists have announced that Toa, the baby orca who has been all over social media the past week, has passed away without finding his mother or his pod.
The orca, also known as a killer whale, was less than eight feet (2.5 meters) long and was estimated to be between four to six months old. Toa the baby orca captured the attention of local media, including local news outlet Stuff, when he was found washed ashore near Wellington, the New Zealand capital, two weeks ago.
He was separated from the rest of his pod.
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A Young Orca Fighting for Survival
Furthermore, Toa was unweaned — meaning he was not yet accustomed to eating other food than its mother's milk — and hundreds of locals volunteered to help sustain the baby orca with care especially since younglings of these species do not generally survive alone in the ocean.
It got its name from responding conservationists, as "Toa" was the Maori word for "warrior." According to the New Zealand Herald, the rescued baby orca was temporarily held in a 32,000-liter pool since last Thursday, July 22, after an approaching storm threatened the young killer whale and the people attending to it. Additionally, the New Zealand Department of Conservation conducted sea and air searches in an attempt to look for its pod. While in the care of conservationists, Toa was fed a special mix every four hours.
Unfortunately, Toa's condition took a turn for the worst starting Friday night and soon passed away, according to a Facebook post from Whale Rescue, one of the groups that helped take care of the young whale.
Ian Angus, marine species manager from the NZ Department of Conservation, told AFP that they were already aware of the risks of keeping Toa in captivity: the longer he stays in their care, the worse it would be for him. Despite the saddening loss of life, Angus recognized the efforts of everyone who joined together to try and do the best for Toa.
"This calf had captured hearts, and no one wanted to believe that he didn't have a fighting chance," Angus said.
For "Killer" Whales, Family is Extremely Important
Despite their reputation for being brutal and ferocious — immortalized in the Internet culture by videos of them sending seals flying into the air — orcas are extremely social animals. The National Wildlife Federation explains that pods of these whales maintain complex social orders with females usually at the lead. A single orca pod usually has a number of families working and traveling together.
As for their breeding and child-rearing, orcas generally have no specified breeding seasons, although they are more common during summer time. After carrying their young four about fifteen to eighteen months, a female orca will give birth to only one calf. Additionally, this newborn is nursed for up to a year and a killer whale generally sticks with his or her family for life. In one case, as reported by the New York Times, a female killer whale once carried her dead newborn for seventeen days — an act seen by experts as something that resembles mourning.
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Check out more news and information on Killer Whales in Science Times.
