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SEATTLE – The last on the efforts to save a whale sick (always local):
12:25
Experts say that they are preparing a plan to catch and treat a sick, seriously threatened killer whale, there is no way to save it in the wild.
They told reporters on Wednesday that they were preparing to rescue the animal known as the J50 if he separated from his family or found himself stuck alive.
NOAA's Chris Yates said the goal was to allow the young killer whale to survive in the wild and help rebuild the southern resident killer whales without endangering the rest of the killer whales.
Veterinarians believe that they have exhausted treatment options in the field, including injecting antibiotics twice.
J50 is one of 75 orcas that eat fish in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. Another one in the same group, known as J35, sparked international sympathy this summer when she kept her dead calf's body in the water for more than two weeks.
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7:50
Nearly two months after an international team of experts began taking extraordinary steps to save a young orca sick, the whale seriously threatened is leaner than ever.
Now, NOAA Fisheries and its partners plan to step in to help the J50 killer whale.
The options could include the temporary capture of the killer whale, treating it on the spot and releasing it, or briefly holding it in rehabilitation before bringing it back into the wild.
NOAA Fisheries said veterinarians thought they had exhausted remote treatment options in the field, including giving them antibiotics. Experts say that it is unlikely that she will survive.
The agency says it will only save the killer whale if it gets stuck or separated from the rest of its group.
Officials have scheduled two meetings in Washington this weekend to hear the public.
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