alaskan-orca: Rest in Peace AB45 Oliver TwistI have some sad news to share. I just got done talking
alaskan-orca: Rest in Peace AB45 Oliver TwistI have some sad news to share. I just got done talking to Dan Olsen, one of the orca researchers, and I learned that AB45 Oliver Twist has been missing for at least two years and is presumed dead. He told me that Oliver Twist had not been seen in 2013 or 2014, nor has he been seen this year.I had the pleasure of getting to see Oliver Twist and the rest of AB pod in 2012. He was a very, very large bull, and he was the only calf orphaned in the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill that managed to survive. His mother was AB16. I am particularly saddened knowing that the last time I saw Oliver Twist was potentially the last time anybody saw him. Here he is pictured with newborn AB76 Gage. This is the only photo I managed to take of Oliver Twist that day, and for all I know, this very well could be one of the very last photos of him.Oliver Twist was 21-22 years old. He may not have made to the average age for an Alaskan resident male orca (31), but it’s amazing he survived at all considering orphaned calves have a slim change of survival. Goodbye, Oliver Twist. You will missed dearly.(This is my photo; please do not use without permission) -- source link