EASTSOUND, Wash. (AP) — Once again, an endangered orca in Washington state has been seen carrying her dead newborn calf in an apparent effort to revive it.

Researchers with the Center for Whale Research, Sea Doc Society and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said they received reports on Friday that the whale — identified as J36 — was pushing the dead calf in Rosario Strait, part of the Salish Sea in the San Juan Islands. They were able to confirm that the female calf, which still had its umbilical cord attached, was deceased.

Calf mortality is always high among orcas, but the endangered population of killer whales that frequent the marine waters between Washington state and Canada have especially struggled in recent decades due to a lack of their preferred prey , Chinook salmon, as wel

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