An orca calf born to J36, aka Alki, died within the past three days, the Center for Whale Research reported Saturday.

A southern resident killer whale from J pod was spotted pushing a dead calf through the water Friday morning in Rosario Strait, on the east side of the San Juan Islands, according to a news release. The calf was full-term or near full-term, the center said. It’s unknown whether it was a stillbirth or if the calf died shortly after being born.

Alki was pushing a deceased female neonate, with umbilical cord still attached," the release reads.

Deborah Giles, a killer whale scientist with the SeaDoc Society, said Alki is 26 years old. She has had several miscarriages. She also had a calf named Sonic, aka J52, who died at age 2 in 2017, after he was reported to be “emacia

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