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SPRINGER'S RESCUE
An orphaned baby, separated from her family in a hostile and dangerous world is a tale to touch the heart of even the most environmentally apathetic person.
However this is one story with a happy ending.
It started in January, when a solitary, juvenile killer whale was spotted near Vashon Island, Washington, in the Puget Sound. The calf was identified as A-73, a member of a resident Canadian group of Orcas. Its mother, A-45 was missing and presumed dead. It is very unusual for members of a resident pod to be on their own, especially juveniles. It’s hard to consider a creature who weighs about 1,200 pounds and eats 80 pounds of fish a day a baby. However A-73 was only 18 months old and would be considered a baby among whales who generally live around 80 years. 
The orphan soon attracted a following and a nick name, Springer, though the science community preferred to call her A-73. Debate on whether to leave her alone or capture her went on for months. However,Dr. Dave Huff, the Vancouver Aquarium's veterinarian, reported her breath had an alcohol-like aroma. They thought she might be metabolizing her fat reserves because she didn’t have enough food, or it could have been evidence of a lung infection.
The American National Marine Fisheries Service thought her playful behavior indicated she was in moderately good health. She was observed feeding on and playing with salmon. However, she appeared to be slightly underweight.
Springer’s real danger was her unfortunate habit of approaching boats and the Vashon Island ferry, often rubbing up against them. There was considerable fear that she would be injured my marine traffic or hit by a propeller. Fears over that possibility, her presence in international shipping lanes, and a worsening skin condition led to the decision to capture her. 
On Thursday, June 13, 2002, headlines read A-73 Successfully Captured
"The team of marine scientists and animal experts involved in the rescue of A-73 were successful this afternoon in capturing the young whale. The rescue effort went very smoothly, as the team spent over an hour playing with the whale to calm her down, and then placed a soft nylon rope around her tail, placed her into a sling, and hoisted her onto a barge. The capture was completed at around 2 p.m. this afternoon, and A-73 is now en route on the barge to a net pen in Manchester, Washington, where researchers will hold her for about two weeks to examine and treat her skin condition. Members of the rescue team said that the whale struggled briefly, but was fairly calm throughout the rescue."
Subsequently The national Marine Fisheries of Canada decided to try and reunite Springer with her pod off Northern Vancouver island. This would be the First attempt of its kind. Springer was loaded on a high speed catamaran and taken to an area near Telegraph Cove, BC. A few weeks after her arrival, she spotted a pod of killer whales, started vocalizing loudly, was released from a sea pen into freedom. 
The final word on Springer is she is making friends and this time they are not boats. She was seen on July 25 swimming with three other whales one of whom seems to have adopted her.
When Springer took up her old habit of approaching a boat to rub against its hull, the older orca, known as A-51, "swam over and seemed to guide Springer away from the boat and back to the other whales," the scientists reported in a press release.
"A-51 is from a different pod, but the two whales seem to have bonded," said John Ford, marine-mammal scientist at the Nanaimo-based Pacific Biological Station. "Springer is swimming alongside as if it were her mother."
Would that all stories end so happily.
For more information and links regarding Springer and their adopt a killer whale program go to 
You can also learn more about Orcas and dolphins at the WildSide> Return to the main index of The Wild Side 
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