Mother Whale’s Apparent Grief Captivates Witnesses – Orca Refuses to Let Go of Her Deceased Baby Calf

Conservative News DailySeptember 20, 2025

This article highlights the universal nature of certain “languages,” such as expressions of emotion that transcend cultural and even species boundaries. It focuses on a poignant example involving a southern resident killer whale named J36, also known as Alki, who was observed carrying the body of her deceased newborn calf near Washington state’s San Juan Islands. The SeaDoc Society and the Center for Whale Research documented this tragic event, noting that Alki has experienced multiple miscarriages in recent years, and the calf appeared to be full term or nearly so. the behavior, interpreted as a form of grieving, has been witnessed in this whale and others in her pod before, demonstrating the profound depth of maternal and familial bonds among orcas. This case underscores both the emotional lives of whales and concerns about the population’s reproductive challenges.

For even the non-linguists out there, most people are aware that there are some “universal languages.”

An angry look, a sheet of musical notes, or an algebra equation will all mean the same thing to you whether you were born in Pensacola, Florida, or Pyongyang, North Korea.

A mother’s love — and grief — are also among those universally acknowledged languages, and those may be even more universal than music or math, because it’s a language that apparently transcends species.

A killer whale has gone viral after onlookers noticed a peculiar sight not too far off the shores of Washington state, according to People magazine.

J36, also known as Alki, is a southern resident killer whale who became internet famous after viewers noticed her travel partner — and it’s utterly heartbreaking.

The local SeaDoc Society noted Alki’s tragic backstory.

“As reported by the Center for Whale Research this weekend, Southern Resident Killer Whale J36 was seen pushing a deceased newborn calf down Rosario Strait in the San Juan Islands. She has had several miscarriages in recent years,” the group noted on Facebook.

“From a biological perspective, it’s challenging, because she’s put all this energy into gestating this calf that does not result in a viable offspring,” SeaDoc Society Scientist Deborah Giles told the Seattle Times. “… We need to be having females being born and living so that they can go on to give birth themselves.”

The Center for Whale Research posted its own analysis to Facebook:

“Late in the morning on September 12th, several sources alerted CWR researchers to apparent sightings of a southern resident killer whale pushing a deceased calf in Rosario Strait. CWR researchers arrived in the area in the early afternoon, and sadly were able to confirm that southern resident J36 was pushing a deceased female neonate, with umbilical cord still attached,” the group posted to Facebook.

It continued: “Based on the size of the calf, we estimate that the calf was either full term or near full term. It is unclear if this was a stillbirth or if the calf died shortly after birth. Based on when we last observed J36, this calf would have been born within the last 3 days.

“Researchers from SR3, SeaDoc Society, and the Whale Museum soon arrived on scene and conducted further documentation and measurement. We will more when we can, and work with the other research teams to piece together what information we can about this calf and J36’s status.”

According to People, this orca familial grief can apparently extend beyond just a mother’s affection.

In January, a member of Alki’s pod had a “tour of grief” with her deceased newborn and was flanked by her two living sons. The family grieved for well over a week.

That same orca with the two sons also had a similar “tour of grief” in 2017, when she carried her dead calf for 17 days.