World
Critically-endangered killer whale dies, reducing population to 74

A critically-endangered Southern Resident killer whale that lived off the coast of Canada and the United States was declared dead on Thursday, reducing their population to just 74. She was 3 years old.
J50, which was also known as Scarlet, had lost more than 20% of her weight in recent months and showed severe signs of emaciation. She was last seen on Friday when she was lagging behind the rest of her family.
“We are saddened to report that J50 is missing and now presumed dead,” the Center for Whale Research (CWR) said. “[We] had a vessel on the water looking for J50 for the past three days. We have seen all the other members of her family during these outings.”
NOAA Fisheries, however, said it wasn’t giving up just yet. “The U.S. Coast Guard is conducting [an] aerial search and teams are searching by boat in likely locations in U.S. and Canadian waters,” the agency said.
The death of J50 reduces the population of the Southern Resident killer whale to 74, which is the lowest number in 3 decades. A total of 11 calves were born from 2014 until 2016, but only 5 of them are still alive.
The Southern Resident killer whale faces three key threats: the availability of prey such as salmon, vessel traffic and noise, and pollution and contaminants. NOAA lists the species as one of eight marine species which are most at risk of becoming extinct.

-
Legal2 days ago
Bomber of California fertility clinic identified, described himself as pro-mortalist
-
US News2 days ago
1 killed in car bombing at Palm Springs, California fertility clinic
-
World6 days ago
6.1 earthquake strikes near Greek islands, shaking felt in Israel and Egypt
-
World1 week ago
1 dead, 2 injured after hot air balloon fire in Mexico
-
Politics1 week ago
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka arrested during protest at ICE facility
-
Politics1 week ago
Mexico cites legal action in push for Google to revise Gulf naming
-
US News19 hours ago
Joe Biden diagnosed with aggressive form of prostate cancer
-
Legal1 week ago
4 found dead from apparent gunshot wounds in Montana home