Evan Quaas was walking along Copper Bay on Sunday morning when he found a newborn orca carcass washed up on the beach.
“It had no teeth, just little bumps where teeth would have developed eventually, and the ‘white’ patches were actually a peachy pink colour,” said Evan’s partner Amber Faktor, who came to see the orca the next morning.
Staff at the nearby Copper Bay Lodge phoned Fisheries and Oceans Canada about the find.
Fisheries officers were able to collect the carcass on Monday afternoon so it could be delivered to B.C.’s Animal Health Centre in Abbotsford. Veterinarians at the centre will try to identify the cause of death, and learn what genetic group of orcas it belonged to.
“What we know so far is that it was a newborn,” said Lara Sloan, a DFO communications officer.
DNA results are expected next week, Sloan said, and necropsy results should be in another two weeks after that.