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ZEBALLOS — Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John says a highly orchestrated attempt to rescue a killer whale calf stranded in a Vancouver Island lagoon could happen as early as next week.
He says the clock is ticking to save the two-year-old orca calf which has been alone in the lagoon at Little Espinosa Inlet since March 23, when its pregnant mother became trapped on a rocky beach at low tide and died.
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John says equipment for the planned rescue has started to arrive in the remote community of Zeballos, located more than 450 kilometres north of Victoria.
He says a large seine net more than 270 metres long arrived from Campbell River Thursday and is expected to be used to corral the young killer whale in a shallow area of the lagoon.
John says the rescue team is also expecting the Sunday arrival of a net pen similar to those used at B.C. salmon farms to house the young orca at a yet-to-be-determined ocean location.
He says earlier plans to use a helicopter to lift the killer whale calf out of the lagoon have been overtaken by the effort to place the young orca in a sling and move it from the lagoon to the net pen by a specially outfitted vehicle, landing craft or boat.
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