Mother Orca Made Famous after Death of Calf Has a New Baby

Tahlequah is the mother orca who captured the world’s attention by carrying her dead calf for seventeen days and a thousand miles. But now, there’s a new baby by her side — a symbol of hope in this, our own season of renewal.

A new calf has been born to J pod, spotted for the first time just last Friday — swimming with Tahlequah, or J35, as she is scientifically known. Michael Weiss, research director of the Center for Whale Research, which catalogs the Southern Resident population, confirmed the birth to Tahlequah and named the baby J61 on Christmas Eve.