B.C. orca calf rescue: Advice from expert whale catcher [Video]

ZEBALLOS, BC. –

Jeff Foster’s resume sounds like the stuff of fantasy, starting as a teenage orca catcher in Puget Sound in Washington State, pursuing the giant predators for aquariums for decades, then having a change of heart and becoming a leading figure in killer whale rescue and rehabilitation.

The 68-year-old American says he got a call from Canada’s Department of Fisheries last month, for advice about how to capture a young orca that has now been trapped in a remote Vancouver Island lagoon for more than three weeks.

He said in an interview that rescuers should try to connect with the female calf, that the Ehattesaht First Nation has named kwiisahi?is, meaning Brave Little Hunter.

“The most important thing is trying to develop a rapport with the animal, but not a strong bond that they become attached to you,” said Foster, who now works with the Whale Sanctuary Project, a group dedicated …