The 2 new baby orcas could starve to death

Dear Friend, Two new baby orcas could starve to death. Donate $27 today to help protect them, their families, and our planet! If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $27 immediately]( [Donate $50 immediately]( [Donate $100 immediately]( [Donate another amount]( Two baby orcas were just born this year into the Southern Resident orca pods. And we should be nothing but excited for the news. But truthfully, we’re worried. The mortality rate for newborn orcas is as high as 50%. Faced with a lack of food and imminent threats from Big Polluters, these new babies may not make it through the winter. [Friend, we have to protect these new orcas at all costs.]( save the newborn baby orcas, their families, and the planet: Donate $27 today and help us reach our $5,230 goal by midnight tonight!]( The two newborn orcas are a symbol of hope for a dying population. With their arrival, there are now 75 Southern Resident orcas remaining. But they’re losing their main food source and crucial habitats. A key culprit is Big Oil and shipping. They’re destroying orca habitat and driving away Chinook salmon. Without enough food, miscarriages are common. That means these orca births are nothing short of a miracle. But they won’t even get names until they survive their first year. If these babies don’t survive, their families’ chances of survival will also plummet. Southern Resident orcas function in close-knit, sensitive family communities known as pods. When they lose a family member, the entire pod feels the loss. Their grief can push them further into starvation. That’s why we can’t stand to lose even one more of these precious whales. These newborn orcas need your help if they’re going to stand a chance. Will you stand with us today? The new orcas are a symbol of hope for a dying population. Donate $27 today to help protect them and the planet before we lose them forever! If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $27 immediately]( [Donate $50 immediately]( [Donate $100 immediately]( [Donate another amount]( Southern Resident killer whales once thrived in the waters of Washington and British Columbia. But they’ve been on the decline since the mid-1990s. Now, they’re the only endangered species of killer whale in the United States. One key contributor is food availability. Orcas rely on Chinook salmon as their main food source. These fish were once abundant in their ecosystems. But in the last decade, their populations have substantially declined. Now, Chinook salmon are endangered themselves. And orcas are starving as a result. But it doesn’t end there, Friend. Things are about to go from bad to worse for the last 75 Southern Resident orcas. Catastrophic Big Oil and shipping megaprojects are in the works. And they would be devastating to the remaining Southern Resident orca population. The Roberts Bank T2 shipping terminal project would significantly increase cargo ship traffic. And the proposed expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline will increase oil tanker traffic in Southern Resident critical habitat SEVEN-FOLD. It will be shipping millions of barrels of toxic tar sands oil through this already delicate orca habitat. Both projects would increase noise from shipping traffic. That could have fatal impacts on orcas. The noise would drive away the salmon that orcas depend on to survive. And it would disrupt the orcas’ sonar, their primary tool for hunting. That means it would be even harder to find the few fish that remain. Between the chronic lack of salmon and the disruption of their hunting methods, orcas will starve to death and be driven to extinction. We can’t let Big Oil push vulnerable orcas further toward the brink. Make your $27 contribution now and help us reach our $5,230 goal! If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $27 immediately]( [Donate $50 immediately]( [Donate $100 immediately]( [Donate another amount]( Did you know that orcas play a part in the air you breathe? That’s right, Friend. Orcas release nutrients for phytoplankton, which in turn provide half of the oxygen we breathe. But their impact doesn’t stop there. Phytoplankton absorb hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon each year. This flow of nutrients promotes healthy ecosystems and a functioning planet, which is why we must protect these orcas at all costs. But orcas are just one oil spill away from extinction. Proposed Big Oil megaprojects like the expanded Trans Mountain Pipeline could be fatal. Orcas can’t detect oil spills. When the next oil spill occurs, they may swim through toxic tar sands oil. That could lead to infection and death. Even the fumes alone can knock out and drown a full-grown whale. Southern Resident orcas are in perilous danger. You and I may be some of the last people to share the planet with these magnificent creatures if these disastrous megaprojects are allowed to move forward. That is why we need you by our side, Friend. If we don’t act soon, we could lose orcas forever. Friends of the Earth is doing everything we can to fight against greedy corporate interests and save these precious whales and our planet. But we can’t do it without your help. Your membership support today will go a long way toward protecting our planet and stopping these reckless megaprojects that have the potential to wipe out the remaining 75 orcas. Will you join us in this fight and rush your $27 membership contribution before the clock strikes midnight and we lose any more of these majestic creatures? Don’t let Big Oil and corporate greed exploit our oceans for profit. Donate $27 now to stand up for orcas and our planet and help us reach our $5,230 goal. If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $27 immediately]( [Donate $50 immediately]( [Donate $100 immediately]( [Donate another amount]( Standing with you, Marcie Keever Oceans and vessels program director, Friends of the Earth Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA 1-877-843-8687 [Contact us]( Email Preferences: [Click here to unsubscribe]( Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Flickr]( © 2023, Friends of the Earth. All Rights Reserved. [supporter]