Orca calf trapped in Canadian lagoon successfully swims to open water

A lost orca (killer whale) calf, stranded for weeks in a shallow Vancouver Island lagoon in western Canada, dodging multiple rescue attemptsswam free on Friday (Apr 26), according to a local Indigenous group.

The Ehattesaht First Nation, who named the orca calf "Brave Little Hunter" after her mother tragically died on the rocks in late March, had tirelessly monitored her situation.

Despite collaborating with fisheries officials, their attempts to release the calf in open waters had proved to be unsuccessful.

The rescue attempts reportedly included using a sling to transport her, playing recorded killer whale verbal communication to tempt her out of the remote lagoon, and even serenading her with violin music.

Then suddenly at 2:30 am local time on Friday, during high tide on a starry night, she "swam past the sand bar her mother passed away on, under the bridge, down Little Espinosa Inlet and onto Esperanza (Inlet) all on her own," the Ehattesaht First Nation said in a statement.

A small group of over lookers watched her go, it said, after being treated to "a long night of (her) breaching and playing."

The team later caught up with the orca calf in Esperanza Inlet, hoping to "encourage her out toward the open ocean where it is hoped that the Brave Little Hunter's calls will be heard by her family."

Although there has been tremendous public interest in the little whale's plight and efforts to save her, authorities have asked everyone to stay clear of the area and the whale itself in order to facilitate her reunion with kin.

(With inputs from agencies)