Hi John,

All of the K-pod of Southern Resident killer whales were spotted this summer — except for an adult male known as Ripple.

Ripple's absence means he has likely died. With his loss, as few as 74 of the Southern Residents remain.

We can't image a world without these whales. Please help us fight for them by giving to the Saving Life on Earth Fund.

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These orcas are on the brink: Earlier this year, their population hit an almost 50-year low.

Malnutrition is leaving them too weak to survive. Noise disturbances from vessels interferes with their ability to find food, and polluted waters threaten them even further. A single oil spill could be catastrophic.

When a fishing vessel sank just weeks ago near San Juan Island, Washington, thousands of gallons of diesel and oil went down with it — leaving a visible sheen on the surface.

The area is a favorite for these whales.

This one relatively small — yet hard to contain — accident starkly illustrates the catastrophic dangers that vessels pose to orcas.

And it demonstrates exactly why the Center's pushing NOAA Fisheries to create a Whale Protection Zone in the area where the vessel went down.

These whales need to focus on feeding, resting, and communicating — not fleeing vessels, noise and oil.

We can secure a future for them, but only if we stay vigilant and press state and federal officials to act with greater urgency.

It's the same approach we're taking for wildlife everywhere, as the extinction crisis threatens to wipe out 1 million species in the coming decades.

We have to fight for the survival of every one.

Please help with a donation to the Saving Life on Earth Fund.

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For the wild,

Kierán Suckling
Executive Director
Center for Biological Diversity

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