Tahlequah, a Southern resident orca who made headlines in 2018 for carrying her dead calf for more than 17 days, is conducting a second “Tour of Grief” after a recent calf passed away.
Hero image credit: NOAA Fisheries West Coast
Tahlequah, the Southern Resident orca also known as J35, captured the world’s attention in 2018 when she carried her dead calf for an unimaginable 17 days and more than 1,000 miles in what became known as the “Tour of Grief.” This raw and heartbreaking display of mourning resonated deeply with millions of people, underscoring the emotional depth of not just killer whales, but of all animals.
Now, in 2025, Tahlequah is once again navigating a sea of sorrow, grieving the loss of her newborn calf, J61, who tragically passed away just days after birth. She has been carrying J61’s lifeless body on her rostrum for at least 11 days, according to KOMO and The Seattle Times.
The J-pod, Tahlequah’s family group, is part of the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whale population, which has been struggling to regain its numbers thanks, in large part, to human activity. With only 73 individuals remaining, every loss of a calf is crushing, as the community continues to remain stagnant instead of growing to the over one hundred individuals it should be. The J-pod is composed of only 26 individuals, and the death of any female Southern Resident calf is especially devastating given the matrilineal lines now lost.
Once originally captured en masse for the exploitative animal entertainment industry, human activity, including pollution, vessel noise, and a dwindling food supply exacerbated by damming and overfishing, continues to take an enormous toll on the tight-knit orca pod.
Chinook salmon, which comprises more than 80 percent of the Southern Residents’ diet, have been in steep decline for years. In 2015, the species was officially listed as overfished, making survival even more precarious for these iconic dolphins.
Tahlequah’s loss, however, is not an isolated tragedy. It’s a devastating pattern. Her public display of mourning comes after the deaths of two recent orca calves, J60 and L128, stark reminders of the challenges facing this fragile population.
L128 was seen struggling to breathe in December 2024 with an adult orca, L83 Moonlight, jiggling the calf in an attempt to revive them. L90, the calf’s mother, had never before had a successful birth or pregnancy. Just two weeks after L128’s birth, researchers found the calf looking severely emaciated, and it was eventually confirmed deceased a few days later.
Horrifically, 69 percent of pregnancies in the Southern Resident killer whale population fail, often due to the nutritional stress of the mothers and environmental concerns passed along to vulnerable calves while nursing.
There is a small glimmer of hope amongst the tragedy: a new calf, J62, was spotted traveling along multiple female orcas in the J-pod as Tahlequah carried J61’s lifeless body. Born between December 24 and December 30, 2024, J62 appears healthy thus far, though more research and observations need to be conducted to determine their mother and sex.
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