An ailing killer whale calf that scientists have been trying to treat since August has died, scientists believe. Ken Balcomb, head of the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island in Washington state, said research teams declared the three-year-old female, known as J50, dead on Thursday evening. Scientists became concerned for the southern resident killer whale in early August, when overhead photography showed she had lost 20 per cent of her body weight. The southern resident killer whales, which are so endangered there are just 75 left, swim between Canadian and U.S. waters through busy shipping lanes. J50 was part of the same family group as a mother orca who gained international attention earlier this year for carrying her dead newborn, in an apparent display of mourning, for 17 days.

Source: CBC News September 13, 2018 21:00 UTC