Urgent: 3 more orcas lost to starvation

 

Mother orcas share salmon with their calves, even as the young whales enter adulthood. When the mother of an orca known as K34 died in 2017, his chances of survival plummeted. He was last seen in July and is presumed dead. Now only 73 southern resident killer whales remain. The Center for Biological Diversity is doing all we can for these whales. Please help by giving to the Saving Life on Earth Fund. Last year's count of this highly endangered population of whales stood at 75. Since then, two adult males have died. The only calf born during the counting period perished as well — a baby whale first spotted the day after Christmas who soon disappeared. The biggest threat to these orcas is starvation: Their favorite food, Chinook salmon, are in sharp decline. Both are caught in an extinction spiral. Ocean noise makes it hard for the whales to communicate, and pollution exacerbates their dwindling food supply. But there's hope. A new calf was born just weeks ago. For this calf and others to survive, these whales urgently need more food — and stronger rules on vessel speeds and routes so their habitat is quieter. Southern resident whales have been swimming the waters of Puget Sound, the Salish Sea and the Pacific Coast for generations — as far south as the Golden Gate Bridge. We can't imagine a world without them. The Center is campaigning to save Southern Resident whales and all animals and plants on the brink. We won't stop — our love of the wild inspires us. Your support will strengthen our fight to save orcas and so many other species on the knife's edge of extinction. Please give today to the Saving Life on Earth Fund. For the wild,

Kierán Suckling Executive Director Center for Biological Diversity   P.S. Monthly supporters who give steady gifts of $10 or $20 sustain the Center's swift and continued action to save wildlife. Do your part by starting a monthly donation.

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Help save the remaining 73 Southern Resident orcas before it’s too late

 

Young Ripple is dead, and it’s up to us to help save his family. Donate $15 by midnight to help us reach our $2,940 goal! If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Donate $15 immediately Donate $5/month immediately Southern Resident orcas Cappuccino, Marina, and now young Ripple have all been found dead. Crippled by grief, their families are falling further into starvation and growing weaker every day. Southern Resident orcas are just one oil spill away from extinction -- yet Big Oil megaprojects are still threatening their habitats and very existence for the sake of profit. Don’t let corporate greed wipe out the last of these smart, sensitive creatures: Donate $15 today and help us reach our $2,940 goal for orcas, oceans, and the planet! Ripple was the second youngest whale in his pod, and he was a symbol of hope for his family’s repopulation efforts. You see, each Southern Resident orca birth is nothing short of a miracle. Facing a chronic lack of food driven by increased ship and oil tanker traffic, these precious whales struggle to carry their babies to term and often suffer miscarriages. The babies that survive are a promising sign of a rebound. But the struggle doesn’t end at birth for Southern Resident orcas. In late 2022, a young orca’s emaciated body was found entangled in a net off the Oregon coast, tragically presumed to be Ripple. Losing just one orca is devastating, Tony, but they mourn every loss to their pod -- and with every loss, their chances of survival decrease. We have to stop this pattern now before the loss is too great: will you join us today in protecting the remaining Southern Resident orcas, our oceans, and the planet? Time is running out for Southern Resident orcas. Donate $15 immediately to help save orcas, our oceans, and the planet and help us reach our $2,940 goal! Donate $15 immediately Donate $5/month immediately The pain of losing young orcas like Ripple is reminiscent of the tragic death of Tahlequah’s calf Tali, who died just thirty minutes after her birth in 2018, prompting the mama orca to carry Tali’s body over the following two weeks in a heartbreaking display of grief.  This scene could become all too common in the Southern Resident orcas’ native Pacific Northwest waters. Their main food source, Chinook salmon, continues to be driven away by disruptive ship and oil tanker traffic -- leading to a vicious cycle of starvation, grief, and stress. Now, more than 2/3 of whale pregnancies are failing, and the chances of survival for any new calves dropped sixfold with the death of Marina, the matriarch of L-Pod. Big Oil megaprojects like the proposed Roberts Bank T2 shipping terminal and the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion will only make matters worse for endangered orcas.  If built, the oil tankers for the Trans Mountain Pipeline would transport millions of barrels of dirty and toxic tar sands oil each week through delicate orca habitat, significantly increasing the risk of an oil spill. When the next oil spill happens, orcas won’t even be able to detect it -- and if they swim through it, they will likely inhale and get coated with oil, resulting in infection and even death.  The increased ship traffic from both the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion and the proposed Roberts Bank T2 shipping terminal will be so noisy it would disrupt the orcas’ sonar too, making it harder for them to hunt and find the remaining food that hasn’t already been driven away. We’re fighting hard against these projects, but we can’t save the orcas without your help.  Stop Big Oil and the shipping industry from wiping out Chinook salmon and Southern Resident orcas. Rush your $15 contribution and help us reach our $2,940 goal before midnight! Orcas are vital to a healthy ecosystem and planet -- even our health depends on their wellbeing. You see, orcas release vital nutrients for phytoplankton, which provide half of the oxygen we breathe and absorb hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon each year. This nutrient flow is crucial for a thriving ocean habitat and human health. Without orcas, the very air you breathe is at risk. Southern Resident orcas are at a tipping point. Even if an orca gets pregnant, the risk of malnourishment and miscarriage is extremely high -- so much so that it’s become nearly impossible for orca populations to rebound, especially when they are constantly hungry and in mourning. If this pattern continues, we could be the last generation to share the planet with these magnificent whales. Time is running out for the Southern Resident orcas -- we have to act now. Friends of the Earth Action is doing everything in our power to protect these animals, but it’s an uphill battle that we can’t win without your support. With your membership gift, we can stand up to Big Oil and the shipping industry and promote a healthy environment for orcas and our planet. Please, Tony, stand with us before it’s too late. Don’t let corporate greed drive the remaining 73 Southern Resident orcas to extinction.  Standing with you, Marcie Keever Oceans and vessels program director, Friends of the Earth Action Contact Us: Friends of the Earth Action Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA 1-877-843-8687 Contact us Learn more: www.foeaction.org Connect: