J32, Rhapsody, found beached with full-term foetus

On Dec 4, 2015, southern resident J32 (Rhapsody) was found on a beach near Comox, BC.  She was pregnant with a full-term foetus and initial observations indicate she may have died of infection.  The death of J32 is a huge loss to the struggling SRKW population and especially tragic to lose this first-born calf as well. We collected the remains of her skeleton and that of her calf on behalf of the Royal BC Museum and with huge backing from the local community. These skeletons will be held at the Royal BC Museum and will be available for future research and education.