I'm always interested in stories about these wonderful animals:
"Volker has produced five calves since 2007 — a high rate considering orcas have an 18-month gestation period, second only to the elephant in the animal kingdom.
And she’s a big reason why there’s a healthy population of Bigg’s orcas — also known as transients — flooding the Salish Sea these days.
“They are thriving,” said Erin Gless, executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association.
She said unlike the southern resident killer whales, which only eat chinook salmon and are struggling, Bigg’s orcas eat seals, sea lions and porpoises. And they’ve been finding plenty of food in the waters on our doorstep.
The Orca Behaviour Institute based in Friday Harbor, Washington, says the Bigg’s orcas are in the Salish Sea in record numbers this year."
