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Grieving orca mother stops carrying dead calf

An orca mom released its dead calf after carrying it for more than two weeks.

SEATTLE — After 17 days and 1,000 miles, the orca known as J35 has stopped carrying her dead calf. She was spotted chasing a school of salmon with other orcas in her pod near Haro Strait on Saturday afternoon.

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Telephoto digital images show that J35 appears to be in good physical condition with no "peanut-head" after the long ordeal.

The body of the deceased calf likely sank to the bottom of the Salish Sea and it is unlikely that researchers will be able to recover it for a necropsy.

The calf died July 24.