Springer’s Journey is the heartwarming true story of A73, or "Springer," an orphaned Orca whale who miraculously found her way 500 miles from her remote home in Canada to the busy waters of Seattle in the winter of 2002.  The story captured the attention of the media and local residents were enthralled by the story of the baby whale as she made increasing efforts to bond with the people and boats in the area.  Most amazing was her apparent adoption of a local commuter ferry as a surrogate mother.   Eventually, Springer was relocated back to her home pod near Dong Chong Bay through a groundbreaking and first-time partnership between US and Canadian authorities, and became the first Orca whale ever successfully reintroduced into the wild.

Springer’s story is special because it ended well.  The relocation effort that coordinated her return to the waters of British Columbia were due largely in part to the efforts of Dr. Paul Spong and Helena Symonds, founders of Orcalab.  They knew both Springer and her mother, Sutlej, and successfully identified Springer after her arrival in Seattle waters.

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Story by Naomi Black. Illustrations by Virginia Heaven. Published by San Juan Publishing.

All images copyright Virginia Heaven 2006.