Spyhopping A73s - Springer, Spirit and Storm. (Photo courtesy Oceanwise MML 18)

In January 2002, a young female orca was spotted in Puget Sound near the north end of Vashon Island. Springer (A-73) was lost, alone, and 300 miles away from home. Over the next six months she was rescued, rehabilitated and returned to Blackfish Sound on the north end of Vancouver Island. Her grandmother, aunts and cousins came to pick her up less than 24 hours after she was returned!

Springer in Puget Sound, 2002 (Photo by Mark Sears)

Today we’re celebrating the 21st anniversary of the day she was reunited with her pod. It’s the first and so far only successful orca reunion in history! And she has two calves of her own, Spirit (A104) and Storm (A106).

They were spotted a few weeks ago near Whale Point on the central coast of BC. We’ll be watching the Orca Lab cameras at explore.org and hope they make it back to Blackfish Sound this summer.

Wherever they are, here’s to Springer, and the orcas who welcomed her home, and the people who made their reunion possible. Whale-sized cheers to NOAA Fisheries, DFO and the Vancouver Aquarium for their courageous leadership, and the community that supported them every step of the way, from the Orphan Orca Fund to the Namgis First Nation, and the many businesses and NGOs that donated supplies, equipment and time.

First Nations Welcome in Dong Chong Bay (Photo by NOAA Fisheries)

The Whale Trail is part of Springer’s legacy. The collaborative spirit behind her rescue inspires and informs everything we do. Today we’re reaching more than 130 million people each year through our sites, signs and programs. And we’re making a tangible difference in the lives of the southern resident orcas, by quieting the seas around them, and  making it easier for them to find and share their prey.

The little whale changed our lives as surely as we changed hers. I wrote about it in my book Orca Rescue (Kids Can Press 2021). It’s the only book about Springer written by someone who was there, and a true story of hope in an era that surely needs one. I hope you will give it a read!

Godspeed Springer, Spirit and Storm. Wherever you are, may you always find plenty of salmon to share and sticks to play with!

Springer, Spirit and Storm. (Photo courtesy Oceanwise MML 18)