B.C. orca calf's extended family spotted near Vancouver Island

Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.

Marine scientist Jared Towers says in a social media post he was surprised to see members of the calf's great-grandmother's pod swimming in ocean waters near Alert Bay.

Towers, an expert in identifying whales by their distinct individual markings, says he saw the T109 pod swim out of Pearse Pass near Alert Bay on Monday, but the female orphan known as kwiisahi?is or Brave Little Hunter was not with the killer whales.

WATCH | Trapped orphan orca calf escapes B.C. lagoon:

Baby orca swims free after weeks trapped in B.C. lagoon

7 months ago

Duration 2:52

After weeks of rescue attempts, the Ehattesaht First Nation says the orca calf known as Brave Little Hunter has finally freed herself from a remote Vancouver Island tidal lagoon and is now in open water.

Alert Bay is about 100 kilometres north of Zeballos and on the other side of Vancouver Island. The orca calf was last seen near Zeballos, earlier this month, after she swam free of the lagoon in which she had been trapped for weeks. The calf's pregnant mother became stranded on a rocky beach and died on March 23.

Towers, who could not be reached for comment, says in his post there have been no reported sightings of the calf since May 10.

He says there are previous cases of lost or orphaned killer whale calves reuniting with their extended families or being adopted by other orcas, but it takes time and is not guaranteed.

Following the calf's escape, the Fisheries Department (DFO) has also said that it's monitoring and patrolling ocean waters off northwest Vancouver Island to ensure boat traffic doesn't interfere with her ability to reunite with her extended family.

"Fisheries and Oceans Canada continues to work with First Nations, whale watchers and researchers to monitor the location of Bigg's killer whales," said in a statement earlier this month.

"DFO will be patrolling and monitoring the area to ensure there are no boats trying to locate her, which will impact kwiisahi?is's ability to join up with a passing pod. The team is also monitoring the location of the juvenile whale while she seeks out her family, the T109A pod."