Kʷiisaḥiʔis, a two-year-old orca calf who had been stranded in B.C.’s Little Espinosa Inlet—a remote three-kilometre Vancouver Island lagoon—for over a month, has successfully swum out of the lagoon on her own.

The calf had initially entered the lagoon with her pregnant mother on March 23. However, Kʷiisaḥiʔis’ mother died soon after being beached at low tide. In an effort to free the calf, The Fisheries Department and the Ehattesaht First Nation undertook various measures involving noise-making devices and underwater barriers. Nevertheless, Kʷiisaḥiʔis proved elusive to capture as she continuously outwitted her rescuers.

As per The Associated Press, on April 26, Kʷiisaḥiʔis swam past a bottleneck at high tide towards an inlet that can take her to open sea. In a statement, the Ehattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations describe how a team monitoring the calf saw her swim past where her mother had died, travel under a bridge, and head down the inlet completely by herself.

Chief Simon John says, “Today the community of Zeballos and people everywhere are waking up to some incredible news and what can only be described as pride for strength this little orca has shown.”

Now that the calf has reached the inlet, the focus shifts to ensuring its safe passage to the open ocean. The hope is that, once Kʷiisaḥiʔis reaches open sea, her call will be heard by her family. In the interim, officials and nation members have implemented protective measures to minimize human interaction and maximize the chances of the calf reuniting with her pod. This includes efforts to prevent contact with boats and people.

“Every opportunity needs to be afforded to have her back with her family with as little human interaction as possible,” Chief Simon John says.