Canada's lonely whale feared killed by boat

Vancouver (British Columbia), Mar 11: A lonely killer whale that captured the hearts of thousands and became the object of an emotional tug-of-war between biologists and Natives on Canada's Pacific Coast was feared dead yesterday.

Officials said the orca, nicknamed Luna by scientists, appeared to have been hit by the propellers of an ocean tugboat in Nootka Sound, off Vancouver Island, where it had lived since 2001 after getting separated from its family pod.

The young male whale, which often played with boats in an apparent search for companionship, may have miscalculated the tug's power and was pulled into the blades, Department of Oceans and Fisheries biologist John Ford said.

''Luna has been fixated on boats for a number of years now,'' Ford told Vancouver's Global television, calling the incident ''a tragic accident''.

Scientists were headed to the area to investigate the accident and confirm the death, but a department spokeswoman said that based on reports from the scene they were almost certain the whale was Luna.

The 1.8-tonne whale was the focus of a circus-like battle on the water in 2004 between scientists, who wanted to capture it for relocation, and Native Indians, who used canoes to lure Luna away from the scientists' pen.

Members of the Mowachaht-Muchalaht Indian band said the whale, which they called Tsux'iit, held the spirit of a respected chief who had died a week before the it arrived in Nootka Sound and that it should be allowed to remain there.

Orcas normally spend their entire lives with their families, and it was not known how Luna got separated from his pod, which summers in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, between Washington state and British Columbia, about 200 km south of Nootka Sound.

The whale's exploits gained international attention and were the subject of a Web site, www.reuniteluna.com. Television stations in Seattle interrupted programming yesterday with reports of Luna's death.

Scientists keep close track of the killer whales that live off the coast Washington and British Columbia. Pods are distinguished by the sounds used by the animals to communicate.

The whale population has declined sharply over the years, and biologists had been anxious to have Luna reunited with this pod so he could breed.

Reuters