![]() Drayer Wildlife Health Center in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “Nobody likes to think we’re directly harming animals,” said SeaDoc Society Director Joe Gaydos, a wildlife veterinarian with the Karen C. (Paul Cottrell/Fisheries and Oceans Canada) ‘We can do better’ĭespite there being no singular common cause of death, the study found a common theme: Human-caused deaths occurred in every age class - from juveniles to subadults and adults. Postmortem examination suggests he died from trauma consistent with vessel strike. The 18-year-old male southern resident killer whale, J34, stranded near Sechelt, British Columbia, on Dec. Additional causes of death include infectious disease and nutritional deficiencies. Two whales died from the blunt force trauma of vessel strikes. Another starved from a congenital facial deformity. For example, one calf died from sepsis following a halibut hook injury. Of 53 whales stranded between 20, causes of death were determined for 42 percent. The whales include those from healthy populations as well as endangered species, such as the southern resident whales regularly sighted off the coasts of British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. ![]() The study received guidance and support from Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the United States’ NOAA Fisheries, the two federal agencies that manage this species. The study was conducted by a team of marine mammal specialists led by a veterinary pathologist with the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and coordinated through SeaDoc Society, a Washington-based program of the University of California, Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine. It also presents a baseline understanding of orca health. The study findings indicate that understanding and being aware of each threat is critical for managing and conserving killer whale populations. Pathology reports on more than 50 killer whales stranded over nearly a decade in the northeast Pacific and Hawaii show that orcas face a variety of mortal threats - many stemming from human interactions.Ī study analyzing the reports was published today (Dec.
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