SEATTLE — An endangered orca vanished from a dwindling whale pod off the Washington coast, a conservation group said.
The missing Southern Resident killer whale, K-26, was not seen by researchers during an Oct. 29 encounter near Middle Bank, the Center for Whale Research said in a Nov. 6 Facebook post.
This latest encounter was the third straight time researchers did not see the 31-year-old whale swimming with his family, the group said.
Now, he’s been added to the missing whales list.
K-26, also known as Lobo, was last seen in July, more than three months ago, according to the Orca Conservancy.
Researchers did not say what could have happened to him.
He has a mother and two sisters, according to an Instagram post from the Orca Conservancy. His mom, K-14, is 47 years old.
K pod is the smallest group of Southern Resident killer whales with 15 members, including K-26. This group can be found in waters from British Columbia, Canada, to Northern California, the nonprofit said.
The male killer whale isn’t the only orca to disappear recently.
Baby orca vanishes
Researchers also did not see a baby orca belonging to the L pod during the Oct. 29 encounter, the Center for Whale Research said.
L-128 has not been seen since Oct. 5.
Researchers said the calf wasn’t in good shape when they saw it last. It was emaciated and being carried by a female whale that was not its mother, the organization said.
“K26 will likely be declared deceased on the next Census, which will bring K Pod down to only 14 members, and the entire Southern Resident population count down to a total of 72, the lowest it has been since 2020,” the Orca Conservancy said.
“Every loss hurts,” one person commented on Instagram.
“Oof this one hits hard. Big love for K26 Lobo,” another person wrote.
Southern Resident killer whales are listed as endangered species in both the U.S. and Canada, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
These populations have declined due to lack of prey, chemical pollution, noise disturbances from vessels as well as other factors, the agency said.
