Young Orca 'Lost and Grieving' Looking for Pod After Mom Died in Stranding

A young orca is "lost and grieving" and looking for her pod after her mom died in a stranding.

Two female orcas—thought to be mother and daughter—both became stranded on Hawkes Bay in New Zealand on November 25.

Rescue teams from Whale-Rescue.org arrived at the scene quickly and were able to save the smaller, younger orca after it was being stranded for 12 hours, the Orca Rescues Foundation said on Facebook. it was thought to be around 4 to 6 years old.

After being refloated in the surf, the orca swam off quickly. But her mother died before teams were able to rescue her. Samples were taken from the larger orca for scientists to analyze, but the body remains there. The exact location of her body is not being disclosed.

Marine mammal strandings are a common occurrence and happen all over the world, and often in New Zealand. In October, two mass pilot whale strandings occurred on two different areas in the Chatham Islands, an incredibly remote place off the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island.

Teams are now on the lookout for where the calf may have gone, as orcas are highly social animals that rely heavily on the company of other whales.

"She is not dependent solely on her mother but she still would require the social support of other orca. She will be lost and grieving, and it would be a relief to all those that care to know that she has joined up with other orca," the Orca Research Trust, that helped the rescue effort, said on Facebook.

Also at the scene was Trudi Nelson, a newsreader at Today FM New Zealand, who took photos of the rescue.

Nelson told Newsweek the rescue was "a beautiful experience."

"Sad but moving and rewarding all at the same time," she said.

Rescue teams still do not know what caused the stranding, but they can sometimes happen when a marine mammal becomes ill or injured. This sometimes prevents them from being able to return to the water.

With orca, another likely scenario is linked to hunting techniques.

"When it comes to stranding, the orca of New Zealand are not complete strangers to this unfortunate event. While hunting Stingrays in shallow sandbanks, individual orcas can have errors in judgment, get stuck and become stranded at low tide," the Orcas Rescue Foundation said on Facebook. "Family members usually remain in the area and in more cases than not, the victim swims away with high tide or with human assistance."

Orcas are highly social animals and usually remain within their family pod for their entire life. While young orcas are not always dependent on their mothers, they rely on being taught how to hunt, with the knowledge passed down through generations.

Do you have an animal or nature story to share with Newsweek? Do you have a question about orcas? Let us know via nature@newsweek.com.