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Save Tahlequah's newborn calf from the shipping industry: Donate now!
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Incredible news: A critically endangered Southern Resident killer whale has just given birth to a new baby calf. But its survival is under threat from a new megaproject that could wipe out their entire pod. Help protect vulnerable orcas: Rush a $10 donation to Friends of the Earth.
Do you remember the story of Tahlequah, the orca mother whose public display of grief moved the world?
Two years ago, Tahlequah gave birth to a calf that died thirty minutes later. The lack of nutrient-rich salmon for her pod to feed on was a key factor in the calf’s death.
Then, in an unprecedented show of mourning, the young mother kept its body afloat next to her for weeks. For 17 days -- mirroring the 17 months she carried the calf in gestation -- Tahlequah kept vigil, carrying her calf with her on a heartbreaking 1,000 mile journey. Her “tour of grief” captured headlines and hearts around the world.
This week, Tahlequah gave birth once again. This should be a moment of celebration, but the truth is, she and her baby have never been more at risk. They are now facing a new threat: The Roberts Bank T2 shipping terminal expansion. This project could drive away these whales forever -- or push them to extinction.
Stop the shipping industry from wiping out Southern Resident killer whales. Support Friends of the Earth with a $10 donation.
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
The Roberts Bank T2 project is a massive proposed shipping facility that developers plan on building at the mouth of British Columbia’s Frasier River. If allowed to be built, it could wipe out Southern Resident killer whales and the Chinook salmon they depend on.
Roberts Bank will immediately disrupt the migration patterns of Chinook salmon, the main food source for these endangered orcas. It will force young salmon into open ocean waters before they are strong enough -- creating a chronic lack of food for the 73 Southern Resident whales that remain.
Southern Resident killer whales have long been struggling to survive and repopulate. Their mortality rate is increasing and their birth rate is decreasing, as the whales become skinnier and more malnourished. Experts say that a lack of salmon -- and resulting hunger and stress -- has kept them from reproducing successfully. They are also threatened by pollution, which affects their health, and underwater noise, which disrupts their sound-based ability to hunt.
The Roberts Bank terminal is a force multiplier for every single threat these orcas face.
We must stop the disastrous Roberts Bank terminal and give Tahlequah and her calf a chance at life. Support these orcas today with a $10 donation to Friends of the Earth.
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Chinook salmon are also listed as an endangered species. With their food supply dwindling, the whales are getting skinnier and skinnier. We still have a chance to save these incredible creatures, but time is running out.
Powered by members like you, Friends of the Earth has been fighting and winning protections for Tahlequah and her pod for years. In recent years, we have secured new legislation related to reducing oil spills and cleaning up shipping and are pressuring the Pacific Fishery Management Council to implement new protective measures for Chinook salmon.
Your actions have made a difference! You’ve given the orcas and their main food source a fighting chance -- but if we don’t stop this latest project, it may all be for nothing.
The odds are against Tahlequah and her baby -- two thirds of this pod’s pregnancies end in failure. But we know that people power, and direct support from members like you, can make the difference. The next five years will determine whether the Southern Resident killer whales survive. Together, we can stop the new Roberts Bank project and work to save these whales.
Take action to protect Tahlequah, Southern Resident killer whales, and the Chinook Salmon they rely on.
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Thank you,
Marcie Keever,
Oceans and vessels program director,
Friends of the Earth
