@brianskerry

Photo by @BrianSkerry An Orca mother carries her dead calf as she swims in the waters of the Norwegian Arctic. I witnessed this mourning procession on a dark, cold and snowy day and was touched deeply by the empathy exhibited by this mom and her family. I don’t know where exactly they were going or how long this lasted, but in the time I spent with them it was clear that this family was not ready to let go. We can’t be certain why the little orca died since a necropsy couldn’t be performed. But orca calf mortality is high, often due to toxic contaminants in the mother’s milk (pollutants in the ocean such as PCBs and heavy metals). From my book Secrets of the Whales. #orca #whales #norway #arctic #SecretsoftheWhales #nikonnofilter