An orca, who carried her dead calf for 17 days and swam over 1600 km of ocean in 2018, has given birth to a new baby, according to the Center for Whale Research.

A Facebook post said the calf was born to Tahlequah, known to researchers as J35. It was spotted for the first time on December 20 while swimming along with J pod in the Puget Sound area, CNN reported.

“The Center for Whale Research has received additional information on the new calf born into J pod. On Monday, 12/23, a team of researchers, including scientists from NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center, were able to conduct longer-term observations of the new calf. These observations allow us to more confidently assign the new calf’s mother as J35 and give it the alpha-numeric designation J61,” read the post by the Center for Whale Research.

The team photographed the calf’s underside, confirming it was a female. “The team, including multiple experienced killer whale researchers, have expressed concern about the calf’s health based on the behavior of both J35 and J61. Early life is always dangerous for new calves, with a very high mortality rate in the first year. J35 is an experienced mother, and we hope that she is able to keep J61 alive through these difficult early days,” it added.

Michael Weiss, research director of the Center for Whale Research, told CNN that the researchers were initially not able to confirm the identity of the calf, but after observing it “confidently,” they assigned Tahlequah as the mother and the baby as alpha-numeric J61.

A nature enthusiast and photographer, who captured the calf, said he was shocked after seeing the calf. “I was just looking through my photos to see who the whales were that passed close to the port side of the ferry I was on and noticed a much smaller dorsal on one of the photos.” 

After scrolling through the series, the photographer realised “it was very tiny calf, much smaller than any of the known young ones in the group.” 

Tahlequah, or J35, made headlines six years ago after she swam with the body of her calf for about 1,000 miles of ocean. The calf had died within hours of birth. She swam with the body for more than two weeks to prevent it from sinking.

Two years later, she gave birth to her first known baby since the incident, J57, in 2020. She is also the mother of another orca named J47.

A father from Indiana, USA, has been handed the maximum prison sentence of 16 years after his six-month-old baby was severely disfigured in a rat attack inside what prosecutors described as a “house of horrors.”

In September 2023, the infant was found covered in blood with more than 50 rat bites. According to the local Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office, David Schonabaum called 911 from his house, saying his infant son in his bassinet was covered in blood. The father told the first responders that there was a rat infestation in the house. “The 6-month-old baby was found in his bassinet in a pool of blood with over 50 bites to his body including his face and extremities. The infant’s right hand suffered the most traumatic injuries with all four fingers and the thumb missing flesh and exposing the fingertip bones,” the prosecutor’s office said.

The rat attack “permanently disfigured” the baby and, as a result, he will “suffer for a lifetime,” it added.

Prosecutor Diana Moers said, “This case is horrific, and we will live with the images of this baby forever. It is completely shocking to the conscience that anyone would live in these conditions, much less allow their children, baby, and animals to live among absolute filth when they cannot help themselves,” adding, “This baby lived in an absolute house of horrors along with his siblings and pet dog.”

Schonabaum was convicted in September 2024 on three felony charges related to the neglect and endangerment of his children. According to a report on Fox 59, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison on October 2, 2024. Angel Schonabaum, the child’s mother, entered a plea agreement last week and is set to be sentenced later this month. Meanwhile, Delaina Thurman, the baby’s aunt, received a sentence of probation earlier this year for her role in the neglect.

The family’s home was found to be in a state of extreme neglect, with authorities describing it as infested with rats, piled high with clutter, and filled with trash, bugs, and rat droppings. According to the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office, “Three children in the home had been bitten by rats before the injuries the 6-month-old had suffered,” prompting involvement from the Indiana Department of Child Services. Despite interventions and warnings, conditions in the home remained unchanged, leaving the children in ongoing danger.

“It is also unimaginable how a rat was able to do such damage to this infant before his father called for help,” added Prosecutor Diana Moers.