Two Orcas Die in Alaska River

Recently, three whales were sighted about 30 miles up the Nushagak River in southwest Alaska, just east of Dillingham. Two female whales died and the third whale, a juvenile, has not been sighted. The hope is that it found its way back to salt water. A necropsy was performed on one of the females and revealed no cause of death, but that she was in a late term pregnancy. The other female will be necropsied as well. Biologists are baffled as to what the whales were doing so far up the river, and hope the second necropsy will reveal a cause of death, as well as the pod they belong to.

The full story is at: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/10/killer-whale-that-died-in-alaska-river-was-pregnant.html