Mother Orca carrying another dead calf

[Catherine]

Tahlequah became famous in 2018 when she carried her dead newborn on her hear for 17 days as an expression of grief. 
She has had two other calves since then. Now she has had another one that has died. She is again carrying the calf on her head as a sign of grief.
There is a lot of concern for her because of the strain on her system from carrying her calf.
Tahlequah is a southern resident Orca from the J Pod. The numbers are critically low with only 23 breeding females left. 



https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c...-1.7422266

Sadly the calf who died was a female.
The pod can't afford to lose any females and it is sad that it is the same female who had such grief before.
It is hard to be aware of someone suffering that much and have no way to help them.
I hope having her pod around her will bring some comfort.

[Catherine]

Sadly 11 days later she is still carrying her dead calf.

https://people.com/orca-whale-mom-still-...ys-8773627

It is hard to think of that poor Orca mother so lost in her grief that she can't let her dead baby go.
I wish there was something we could do. Even her own pod can't do anything, but be there and let her grieve in her own time.

[Catherine]

Tahlequah is still carrying her dead calf. She is still very much caught up in her grief and is unable to let the body go.


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c...-1.7433998

This is so sad. I guess she understands that when she lets the dead calf's body go, it is gone forever.
he has no place to return to when she wants  to remember her calf.
Maybe that is why humans learned to bury their dead. We couldn't bear to let go.
I hope her grief passes enough for her to let go and start looking after herself. 
This has been very hard on her and it would be too sad to lose her too.