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Orca whale mother has carried dead calf with her for 5 days

Posted at 11:20 AM, Jul 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-30 15:07:58-04

An orca whale believed to be grieving her dead calf has carried it with her for five days now.

The calf died a half-an-hour after its birth, scientists said. They are monitoring the whale as she has carried the calf on her nose and dives to pick it up when it falls off.

Officials said it is a rare occurrence for a whale to keep its dead calf with it. This is the first calf in three years born to endangered orcas.

On Saturday evening, the whale and her calf were spotted in Canadian waters.