Dear folks,
Starving, malnourished and poisoned, Southern Resident orcas are dying painful deaths.
In the past year alone, seven have died – the latest, a male calf just two-and-a-half years old. Heartbreakingly, this Pacific Northwest orca population is at a 30-year low.
The loss of a calf is especially tragic, but it is made worse by just how precious each individual is to the dwindling population of Southern Resident orcas.
Already considered one of the country’s eight most at-risk marine species, Southern Residents are teetering on the brink of extinction. With just 76 individuals left, any more losses to the remaining population could be catastrophic.
Just two years ago, Southern Resident orcas experienced a "baby boom" that saw the birth of six calves. But without enough salmon to sustain them, and with the continued toxicity leaching into the Puget Sound, hope soon turned to heartbreak.
Tragically, half of those calves have been lost to starvation, malnutrition or toxic poisoning. We can't fail the rest of them.
Southern Resident orcas have been declining for decades, largely due to the scarcity of the endangered salmon that make up 80 percent of their diet.
Human-caused changes, including the construction of hundreds of dams along salmon migration routes, have left salmon populations in free-fall. That, coupled with the pollution and contamination of the food chain, has left orcas sick and struggling to find food.
With your help, Defenders is working to reduce toxic contamination of the orcas’ food supply. We’re helping to remove outdated dams and increase and restore vital salmon habitat so that orcas will have plenty of healthy salmon to eat.
Southern Resident orcas are rapidly descending towards extinction. We must act now to keep them from disappearing forever.
Thank you in advance for your support,
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Shawn Cantrell
Northwest Program Director
Defenders of Wildlife
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