Someone removed some of the teeth on a dead orca whale at a boat launch on Canada’s Pacific coast Vancouver Island. Orcas, also called killer whales, are listed as threatened under the Species at Risk Act and that makes it illegal to possess any part of the animal.
The death of this whale, known as J-32, was a blow to the orca population in the area because it was a female of breeding age and was carrying a full-term fetus. There were only 78 area orcas and of those only 17 or 18 were reproductive females.
Orcas face multiple threats
The carcass had been towed to Courtenay so that scientists could investigate exactly why the animal died. Orcas face threats from pollution, noise and a lack of food, according to one U.S. study. Tissue samples from the whale and fetus will be sent to labs across North America for analysis.
A network of volunteers was credited with alerting the government’s Department of Fisheries quickly, enabling scientists to take samples before tissues deteriorate.
‘A senseless, illegal act’
An individual found guilty of possessing part of an endangered or threatened animal faces a maximum penalty of $250,000 and up to five years in prison, though maximum penalties are rarely imposed.
“It’s just a senseless, illegal act,” said Paul Cottrell, the Pacific marine mammals co-ordinator for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. “We take this kind of thing seriously. We don’t want endangered species parts being traded or sold.”
It’s not known why someone would have stolen the whale’s teeth, but government officials are investigating.
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