Researchers are hoping AI technology can help a recently-orphaned orca whale calf reunite with her family pod.
At the end of March, a pregnant orca and her two-and-a-half year old calf entered a lagoon off Little Espinosa Inlet in British Columbia, Canada. The mother left the calf alone there while she went hunting, but tragically, she became stranded and died nearby. The calf was named “kʷiisaḥiʔis” by members of the Ehattesaht First Nation, which translates loosely to “Brave Little Hunter,” and she quickly became the focus of much concern.
Little Espinosa Inlet is in a stunningly pretty part of the world, near the Vancouver Island town of Zeballos. Orcas are a common sight in those parts, and the community came together to try and help the stuck whale calf.
A variety of different ideas were tried, from a giant net to singing songs, but Brave Little Hunter managed to evade all attempts to help her escape from the lagoon. For nearly a month, she swam back and forth, likely aware that her mother wasn’t there to help, but unsure of the humans trying to assist her.
Finally, though, at about 2:30 a.m. on the morning of April 26, she found her way to freedom all by herself.
Brave Little Hunter was orphaned in a British Columbia lagoon. Photo: CBC//Screenshot
“After most everyone had left to get some sleep, the small group who remained stood as witnesses to watch her swim under the bridge and down the inlet,” Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John said in a statement. “The team later found her in Espinosa Inlet and followed her from a distance as she moved toward Esperanza Inlet proper. This morning they will encourage her out toward the open ocean where it is hoped that the Brave Little Hunter’s calls will now be heard by her family.”
Although her chances of survival are relatively good, they are far better if she’s able to reunite with her pod. At the time of this writing, Brave Little Hunter is being tracked by officials to ensure that she doesn’t come into contact with boats or other humans. The public has been asked to stay away from the area and now AI might prove useful in the effort to get her back to her family.
A British Columbia-based research group called Bay Cetology is behind the novel idea. They’ve offered access to their online AI-assisted photo database to local photographers and whale watching tour operators in an attempt to locate Brave Little Hunter’s pod.
For over 50 years, scientists have used fins and markings to identify and track individual whales, and many of them are in a database.
“Really, this is just an extension of that research methodology,” Executive Director Jared Towers said to the CBC. “It started with film, and then it went digital, and now we’re transitioning into deep learning, machine learning, or an artificial intelligence kind of model to conduct this work moving forward.”
The AI program, called Finwave, is still in beta-tests, but according to the CBC, it has an accuracy rate of over 90 percent when identifying images of whales. Hopes are high that Brave Little Hunter will find her pod on her own, but any little bit of help is welcomed.
In early April, Brave Little Hunter’s pod was spotted off Ucluelet, BC, about 90 miles south of Zeballos. Fingers are crossed that she can make it back to her pod and continues to live a long and healthy life.
