VANCOUVER - Efforts are underway to save a young false killer whale calf which has washed ashore on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
The distressed cetacean was found in poor condition Thursday morning on North Chesterman Beach.
The Vancouver Aquarium's Marine Mammal Rescue Centre has recovered the whale and was planning to assess and begin treating it.
A picture of the dark grey whale posted on Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne’s Facebook page shows it to be about a metre in length.
The centre says a false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) is distinct from the killer whale (Orcinus orca) and is only rarely sighted in B.C. waters.
The centre rescues stranded marine mammals and rehabilitates them for release back into their natural habitat.