Springer (orca)

Two-year-old Springer in Puget Sound

Springer (born late 1999 or early 2000), officially named A73, is a wild orca. In 2002, she was discovered alone and emaciated in Puget Sound, Washington, after her mother had apparently died. As the orcas of the region have been studied extensively, whale experts were able to identify Springer by listening to her vocal calls and by her distinct eyepatch, and were also able to determine the location of her remaining family. Six months later, after being treated for medical conditions and given extra food, she was transported to Johnstone Strait, British Columbia, and released near her close relatives.

As of 2007, Springer has been seen with her relatives each year in Johnstone Strait, becoming the only whale in history to be successfully re-integrated into a wild pod after human intervention. The work of rehabilitating Springer involved scientists, veterinarians, local businesses, and volunteers from both sides of the Canada-U.S.A border, and crystallized decades of research into the social behavior and family bonds of orcas.

Appearance in Puget Sound

Springer's family was traced through analysis of her vocal dialect. Her mother was "Sutlej", who probably died in 2001.

Springer was first seen in the Swinomish Channel near La Conner, WA on January 2 and 3, 2002 and again on January 10 near Edmonds, WA. These reports were sent out to the public via the Orca Sightings Network. She was first reported to news media on January 14, 2002, when she was spotted swimming alone near the Vashon Island ferry dock in Puget Sound. She was 11 feet long and estimated to be between 18 and 36 months old at the time, a toddler by orca standards. Springer's presence was immediately regarded as a mystery, as orcas are rarely seen alone, and orca mothers never leave their young offspring unattended. Springer became an instant celebrity, appearing regularly on the evening news in the United States and Canada over the subsequent months.

Identification

See also: Orca § Taxonomy and evolution

Orca experts immediately began to try to identify the young whale, who was initially known as "Baby Orphan Orca" ("Boo").

The orcas of the Washington State and British Columbia coasts have been extensively studied since the pioneering work of Michael Bigg in the early 1970s. Each of the approximately 500 orcas which frequent these waters is named, and experienced watchers of these animals can recognize individuals by their unique markings and the shape of each orca's dorsal fin. Birth records of each orca have enabled the compilation of detailed family trees.

Orcas in these waters take two forms, resident and transient, which have different diets and social structures and do not interbreed. Different groups of Orcas vocalize using different sets of calls, known as dialects. Closely related groups have more similar dialects than more distant relatives.

In February, researchers recorded Springer's underwater calls, and easily determined that she belonged to a group of approximately 220 orcas known as the Northern Resident community. This community is known to spend each summer near the British Columbia coast Template:Mi to km north of Puget Sound, but is rarely seen in the Puget Sound area. Resident orcas leave the coast each fall; their migration routes are still unknown.

It was known that A45, a female orca from this community, and her calf A73 had not returned to Johnstone Strait the previous summer and were both feared to be dead. Through assessment of Springer's dialect, she was confirmed to be A73. A45, also known as "Sutlej", was Springer's mother. Her body was never found. Orca fathers do not play a role in rearing their young, so Springer is considered an orphan. Her closest maternal relatives are other members of the matriline (subpod) known as A24, which is in the pod known as A4. A73 had been given the nickname "Springer" shortly after her birth. Like many of the region's orcas, she is named after a geographical feature – Springer Point in southern Johnstone Strait.

Public debate

Nudging a floating log in Puget Sound

Throughout the spring of 2002, scientists, conservation groups, and citizens debated the options for Springer's future. Opinions were largely, and strongly, against the idea of sending Springer to live in a marine theme park. However, Springer's prognosis in Puget Sound was poor.

Health and welfare concerns

Springer had developed a dangerous habit of approaching boats and rubbing against them. There was a high risk she would be hit by a vessel in the busy area, and also concern that she would eventually become big enough to capsize a small boat. One local group, Project SeaWolf Coastal Protection, started regular observation of the calf and documented a number of whale-boat interactions while Springer foraged in Seattle-area waters. Her habit of rubbing against boats and floating logs was attributed to a need for social interaction and touch. Biologist John Ford of Fisheries and Oceans Canada observed later that "she didn't have whales to associate with down there, so boats sort of became a replacement for that for social reasons."

Springer was no longer dependent on her mother for milk. However, orcas are highly social and form extremely strong family bonds. Resident orcas stay with their mothers and their maternal relatives for their entire lives.

Springer was also thin and in poor health. She had ketoacidosis, worms, and an itchy skin condition.

Relocation plan

Whale experts from the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Vancouver Aquarium, and other non-governmental organizations gradually formed a plan to move Springer to Canadian waters and reunite her with relatives. Biologist Paul Spong of the Canadian OrcaLab research facility said, "As a northern resident orca, A73's natural place is with other northern residents, especially her remaining family. She still retains her matrilineal vocal traditions."

It was not at all certain that a move and reunion would be achievable. Scientists considered the possibility that Springer had been rejected by her pod, although resident orcas had never been known to do this. Orca societies are strongly cohesive, but are also believed to be strongly exclusive - In a worst-case scenario, Springer's pod might respond to her reappearance by physically attacking her. Springer's habituation to people and boats jeopardized her chances of returning to a truly wild life; in another worst-case scenario, Springer would endanger humans by getting too close to boats, and have to be recaptured

Springer's health was uncertain, and Canadian officials refused to accept a whale with any communicable diseases. Returning Springer to her home waters would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and require the co-operation of multiple organizations in two countries. The process of capturing a whale, even for a brief move, carried the risk of further stress and injury.

No whale had ever previously been re-integrated into a wild pod after human intervention. Another orca, Keiko, had been released into the wild in 2002 after spending most of his life in captivity, but lived alone until his death in 2003.

As the weeks unfolded, Springer's health improved and officials chose not to intervene. However Springer's medical problems, combined with the fear that she would be accidentally killed by a boat or that her quality of life as a lone orca would be poor, led to a decision in May to capture Springer and return her to her home waters.

Rehabilitation

On June 13, Springer was captured and placed in a net pen at a government research station in Puget Sound. For four weeks, she was given live salmon and tested for medical conditions. To avoid creating a dependency on humans, staff kept their contact with her to a minimum and released food into her pen at random times of day. Her food, sometimes laced with medication, was delivered via a chute that was arranged so that Springer could not see the person putting the food into the chute. Her health improved and she began to eat more, approaching the 60–80 pounds of fish per day needed to increase her weight. After medical tests revealed no genetic disorders or communicable diseases, Springer was cleared for return to Canada.

Another hurdle was to secure a means of transport for the whale's 400 km journey. A truck ride would have been long and bumpy, and an airplane prohibitively expensive. A boat building company from Whidbey Island, Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, stepped up to donate use of the Catalina Jet, a 144-foot-long catamaran that was capable of travelling more than 40 mph.

Springer's move to her home waters needed to be timed well to maximize her chances of re-integrating into a wild pod. To minimize her habituation to humans, it was important to move her as soon as possible. It was also important to release her when her close relatives, the ones whose dialect was closest to Springer's own, were present. Due to the detailed records kept by observers in Johnstone Strait, it was known that Springer's pod appears each year between May 6 and July 25, usually in mid-July. On July 9, Orcalab reported detecting the calls of orcas closely related to Springer, moving towards Johnstone Strait.

Return to Johnstone Strait

To keep her skin from drying out or becoming sunburned during the 13-hour journey, Springer was draped with wet cloths and treated with ointment.

Under the watch of news helicopters, Springer was lifted by crane from her holding pen on the morning of Saturday, July 13. She was placed in a specially constructed shallow pool on the catamaran, and brought to a bay off Hanson Island, in Johnstone Strait. A net pen had been put in place, with over 40 salmon that local First Nations fishermen had caught for her under a specially granted fishing permit.

When released into her net pen, Springer was immediately active, feeding on salmon all through the night, spyhopping (raising her head out of the water), pushing at the net, and calling loudly. Springer could hear the calls of orcas swimming nearby, which included her grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. "She was vigorous and vocalizing and obviously interacting with the other whales. We were listening practically with our mouths hanging open (Saturday) night," said Orcalab researcher Paul Spong. Lance Barrett-Lennard, senior marine mammal scientist with the Vancouver Aquarium said that it was clear Springer knew she was home, and that "Her calls were so loud they practically blew our earphones off."

Life in community

At 3:30 p.m. on July 14, Springer's keepers opened the gate on her net pen as other orcas went by, and Springer went "charging off." She swam straight towards the other orcas. However, their reaction to Springer's sudden appearance was initially to bunch together silently in confusion and alarm. After a few minutes, Springer and the others swam off in opposite directions.

Transmitter devices had been attached to Springer's back with suction cups, but were designed to fall off after a few days so that she would look like a normal whale. Thereafter, scientists and volunteers did their best to observe Springer visually. In the first days, she was seen trailing her pod, keeping a distance of about half to three quarters of a mile. Her old tendency to interact with boats remained a problem; on July 16 she positioned herself near a small boat so that it could not move without hitting her. The boat had to be towed away from Springer at high speed. Boaters were asked to stay away from her. It is likely that Springer's early encounters with other orcas were difficult: She was later seen with teeth-rake marks covering her body.

Soon, however, Springer began to travel consistently with members of the A4 pod (her mother's closest relatives), and her distant cousins in the A5 pod. It was hoped that Springer would form a bond with a mature female who would act as a surrogate mother. The orca known as A51 or "Nodales", a 16-year-old female from the A5 pod who had no calf of her own, appeared to take that role. In August, A51 was observed following Springer and guiding her away from boats, which Lance Barrett-Leonard described as a sign of "reciprocalness in the relationship. It convinced me this is not just a case of A-73 finding a placid female she's following around." The bond between Springer and Nodales turned out to not be as strong as a normal mother-offspring bond in killer whales, however. Springer has since often been seen with Nawitti, a 12-year-old female from the A4 pod, and with Springer's great-aunt Yakat.

Springer has been sighted each year with A-clan orcas in Johnstone Strait. She is "fat and spunky but small for her age", probably because she was still nursing when her mother died, and suffered from undernourishment. In July 2003, Paul Spong said in press release, "Springer is in excellent condition. There can now be no question about the success of the return project as it is clear that Springer has resumed living a normal social life among her kin and community."

See also

• Keiko (Orca)
• Luna (Orca)

Further reading

• Francis, Daniel (2007). Operation Orca: Springer, Luna and the Struggle to Save West Coast Killer Whales. Harbour Publishing. ISBN 1550174266. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

External links

• Video of Springer's return to Johnstone Strait in 2002
• "Saving Springer: Orphan Orca", documentary from the NOAA
• Photograph of Springer and A71 in 2006
• Closeup of Springer's dorsal fin and saddle patch in 2006