The rehabilitation
of an orphaned orca rescued in Puget Sound will be supported by a new fund launched by seven conservation organizations.
The Orphan Orca Fund provides a coordinated opportunity for the
public to support the reintroduction of A73, dubbed Springer, to her pod in Canada. The fund will be administered by The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, Washington.
Sponsoring organizations also include the American Cetacean
Society Puget Sound Chapter, Earth Island Institute, Friends of the San Juans,
Orca Conservancy, Orca Alliance and People For Puget Sound, in addition to The Whale Museum.
"I want to express my appreciation for the support A73 is
receiving from the citizens of Puget Sound through these organizations," said Bob
Lohn, regional director of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
"Much of the monitoring, evaluating, and protection of the
whale to date has been organized and freely given by these groups. Theircontinued support will be equally important in these next weeks and months," Lohn
continued. "The funding and in kind donations that they're soliciting, and the
volunteers serving with them, will provide significant supplies and services for
the orca's treatment and rehabilitation."
The story of Springer, the orphaned orca calf alone in
mid-Puget Sound since January, has captivated people around the world. Now it has
spurred an unprecedented effort by scientists, federal agencies and
non-governmental organizations to return her to the waters of her birth in
Johnstone Strait, British Columbia, to give her a chance to return to her pod.
The purpose of the Orphan Orca Fund is to support the
rehabilitation project now underway in Puget Sound. If all goes well, Springer
will be relocated to Johnstone Strait later this summer.
The Fund will collect the expertise and resources of the
coalition's participants to secure supplies and services for the project. The
coalition has been given assurances from NMFS and other responsible parties that
Springer is to be rehabilitated in a natural seapen or embayment, minimizing human contact.
All funds left over from the Springer reintroduction effort
will support scientific research and conservation efforts surrounding Puget
Sound's Southern Resident Community orcas.
Donations can be sent directly to Orphan Orca Fund, c/o Juanita
Johns, Islanders Bank, PO Box 909, Friday Harbor, WA 98250.