A marine conservation group on Vancouver Island has revealed that a stranded orca was likely hunting when it got stuck and died over the weekend.
The Marine Education and Research Society said the killer whale that got stranded near the Village of Zeballos couldn't be refloated, and eventually drowned despite efforts to help by locals.
The society said the whale was born in 2009 and had a calf that the group said may be able to be reunited with a family group.
The society explained the mother whale could have had health issues, and that the tide of the area where she was found ebbs quickly, which could have led to the stranding.
According to the society, the calf is about a year and nine months old.
"Survival of the calf will depend on their age (independence) and the family structure of these whales," the group said in a social media post.
"Not all Bigg's organize in matrilines whereby there might be family members nearby."
The post also explained that it is "unknown" why the mother drowned, but theorized that the mammal could have attracted by a "fresh dead seal" in the area.
"This area is known to us," the society said. "It is highly influenced by changes in tides. The whales would have come in on a high tide."
It added: "When the tide ebbs in this particular spot, it happens very quickly."
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