Penn Cove Orcas Make Their First Return to the Site of Brutal 1970 Killings
Their historic return is a sad reminder of what happened to the rest of their pod.
Published Nov. 5 2024, 3:59 p.m. ET
Animal lovers may recognize the name Penn Cove thanks to a gruesome incident in the area from 1970. During the herding of more than 80 orcas, five were killed, and seven were captured.
Whether that horror remains fresh on the mind of orcas swimming through the nearby waters of Washington state remains to be seen. However, since the attack, the mammals have notoriously avoided that fateful cove.
However, in a surprising change, orcas from the original 1970 pod were spotted swimming in Penn Cove in November 2024.
Continue reading to learn more about what happened all those years ago that kept the whales away, and what it means to those who got a chance to witness their triumphant return.
What was the 1970 Penn Cove orca capture?
The dark history of the Penn Cove orcas can be traced back to Aug. 8, 1970, when a crew was brought in to round up 80 orcas from the Southern Resident L pod. According to the Heritage Resources blog, they were chased into the cove using several different methods, including explosions and boats.
During the brutal attack, five of the orcas died. It's said that the deaths included one mature female orca and four young calves, all of which were killed after getting tangled in the nets and drowning.
Those five orcas were then "sunk" in the waters off of the coast of Washington so that the organization tasked with capturing the whales wouldn't have to include them in their final tally, according to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation North America (WDC) blog.
The tragedy and brutality of that day didn't stop with the loss of life. Fishermen captured seven young calves, separating them from the rest of the pod to be shipped off to various aquariums, where they were put into exhibits.
One of the whales, a female calf named Lolita, sadly died in 2023 while still kept in captivity at Miami's Seaquarium. Lolita, who also went by the Chinook name of Tokitae, continued to use the calls that were unique to her pod during the 50 years she was separated from them.
As for the rest of her pod, they were added to the list of endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2005 by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
The Southern Resident L pod orcas have returned to Penn Cove.
On Nov. 3, 2024, Lolita's family was spotted back in the waters of Penn Cove for the first time in five decades. Their arrival was captured by an emotional TikToker, who posted a video of the moment for her followers.
"I can’t believe my first encounter with L Pod happened during such a momentous time," user @itsdomiix33 wrote. "I cried. Everyone around was in total awe. It was an extraordinary day for whale watching!"
The OP's followers jumped in to comment on the significance of the moment, saying that it was a sign that after 50 years the pod finally felt safe enough to return to the waters that once destroyed their family.
Whether that's true or not remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure — the brutality of that day left a mark on the L pod for decades. Hopefully, the significance of this moment will continue to raise awareness about the treatment of these beautiful creatures.
