Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Cautious optimism for stranded baby orca

By Allison Hess
Junior reporter - digital·Bay of Plenty Times·
4 Aug, 2016 06:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Orca Research Trust founder Dr Ingrid Visser with a baby orca that was left behind by it's pod. Photo/John Borren

Orca Research Trust founder Dr Ingrid Visser with a baby orca that was left behind by it's pod. Photo/John Borren

A baby orca is now at home swimming around a 6m wide Para pool on a council reserve overlooking the Tauranga harbour.

On Wednesday the calf, which has been stranded in Bay waters for 21 days, had reached distress levels and was almost catatonic in the ocean when experts decided to move him to a land-based pool.

Once in the pool filled with sea water the calf was stabilised and fed a hydrating mixture of warm water and glucose.

As any mum and dad of a young baby would understand, it was a big moment when he pooped, local resident and hands-on volunteer Kit Wilson said.

"It means his metabolism is still working, his intestines are still working. It means there is a chance."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Around midnight the orca was tube fed.

"Not with orca milk, as we don't have any handy, but with a special mixture," Mr Wilson said.

Orca Research Trust founder Dr Ingrid Visser said the orca was in intensive care and was doing ten times better than he was 24 hours ago.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The rehydration was working and soon he would be fed fresh fish - a "fish smoothie".

"He's really alert, he's watching people and you can see if you step away from him he comes back because he wants to re-engage," she said.

Dr Visser was speaking to the Bay of Plenty Times while standing in the pool structure rubbing the whale's tummy and scratching his back.

Orca Research Trust founder Dr Ingrid Visser with a baby orca in a land-based pool. Photo/John Borren
Orca Research Trust founder Dr Ingrid Visser with a baby orca in a land-based pool. Photo/John Borren

More experts from the United States flew in yesterday morning, bringing the expert rescue and rehabilitation team up to seven - evenly split between New Zealanders and Americans.

Discover more

New Zealand

Stranded baby orca dies

05 Aug 10:01 PM

It was unknown how long the calf would be kept in the pool.

"It's completely up to him. At this stage we are cautiously optimistic and we're moving forward as fast as we can because obviously the faster we can get him rehabilitated the quicker we can get him back out with wild orca."

Dr Visser said the team was aware a pod of orcas had been spotted in Tauranga Harbour two days ago but they did not know if it was his family pod.

A pod of orcas was also spotted yesterday near Omanu beach.

"He will become fixated with us for a while because we are his only social contact but we have every faith that when we get him back out with the wild orca he will re-engage with them."

The team was focusing on rehabilitating the baby orca and getting him back to strength to reunite with his family pod.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'God-given right': Family defends largely unconsented homestead on rural land

04 Jul 08:45 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

04 Jul 06:03 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'God-given right': Family defends largely unconsented homestead on rural land

'God-given right': Family defends largely unconsented homestead on rural land

04 Jul 08:45 PM

A family wanted to be left alone to develop their land without council interference.

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

04 Jul 06:03 PM
Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM
Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP