Whale Dilemma in Puget Sound

For weeks now, an orphan killer whale has been hanging around central Puget Sound--about 250 miles from her only known family member in Canada--and experts are worried she might not survive.

There’s not much for her to eat, and scientists and whale advocates are concerned about the calf’s health.

The National Marine Fisheries Service convened a panel of experts to discuss what to do.

The options: Let nature take its course, catch her in a net pen or try to take her to her family off British Columbia’s Vancouver Island or to a commercial site such as Sea World.

An NMFS spokesman said a decision is expected next week.

The orphan, born in 2000, is called A73 for her birth order in Canada’s A-pod.

According to Canadian researchers, her mother, A45, is dead. The calf was apparently left behind by her pod, where her only known relative was a grandmother.