K Pod orca last seen in July feared dead

SEATTLE, Wash. — A Southern Resident orca from the K-Pod is feared dead.

According to the Orca Conservancy, a nonprofit that works to protect the whales, K26, also known as Lobo, has not been seen with the pod during researchers’ last three encounters.

The last time the 31-year-old orca was last seen was in July.

The news follows the loss of two other adult males, K34 Cali, and L85 Mystery, as well as the loss of two newborn calves, J60 and L128.

The Center for Whale Research, which tracks the population, will likely declare Lobo dead in the next census. This would bring the K Pod, which is the smallest of the three pods, down to just 14 members and the entire Southern Resident orca population numbers to 72. That would be the lowest it’s been since 2020.

“With the Southern Resident population lingering in the low 70s, they face lack of genetic diversity, so the potential loss of another breeding male is a major blow to the population,” the Orca Conservancy said in its announcement.

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