The state of the Orca is not improving, deworming has failed: US officials

VANCOUVER – The US Oceans and Atmospheric Administration has said that an attempt to inject a ram's killer whale with a deworming drug has failed.

In an update on Saturday, NOAA confirmed that the whale, designated J50, was swimming nearly one kilometer behind the rest of his family, known as J-Pod.

The organization said her condition did not seem to improve and that she had not managed to dose the whale with the dewormer.

Michael Millstein of the Oceanic Administration confirmed to the Canadian press last week that parasitic worms have been found in several faecal samples of J-Pod whales with which it shares fish, including the J50 dam, known as the name of J16.

Millstein said the authorities believe that combining worms with an existing infection could put too much pressure on the body because nematode worms are often found in the digestive tract of marine mammals.

Saturday's statement confirmed that officials from the US-based organization will work with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to evaluate rescue options for the killer whale.