What an Orca’s 1,000-Mile Swim Really Means

asian elephant
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Written by Jenna Bratcher

Published: January 23, 2025

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Have you ever wondered whether your dog or cat experiences feelings of joy and sadness? How about whether or not wild animals love and grieve? Barbara J. King, an emerita professor of anthropology at William & Mary College, research fellow at PAN Works (a center for animal ethics), and renowned author, has spent her career exploring the depth of the emotional lives of animals. Her work emphasizes that love, grief, and other complex feelings are not uniquely human traits but are shared across species. In her TED Talk and books such as How Animals Grieve and Animals’ Best Friends, she has advocated for recognizing these emotions and taking action to improve the lives of animals. 

One of the most compelling examples of animal grief she discusses is the case of Tahlequah, an orca whose “grief swim” in 2018, and now again in 2025, has captured global attention and challenged misconceptions about animal emotions.

Barbara J. King is an author, emerita professor of anthropology, and

research fellow at

PAN Works

.

The Story of Tahlequah: A Grieving Mother

Tahlequah, a member of the J pod of orcas in the Pacific Northwest, first gained global recognition in 2018 when she gave birth to a calf that died shortly after. Over the next 17 days and across roughly 1,000 miles, Tahlequah carried the lifeless body of her daughter in what has since been described as her “grief swim.” 

This extraordinary act required immense physical effort and emotional resilience. Tahlequah repeatedly dove to retrieve the calf when it slipped from her grasp, refusing to let go despite the challenges of ocean currents and her pod’s foraging needs. 

“On both an individual level and a species level, there’s something very traumatizing going on here.”


Barbara J. King, emerita professor of anthropology at William & Mary College, research fellow at PAN Works, and renowned author

“This took immense intention and energy,” explains Barbara. “Many scientists, including me, believe this was an expression of her sorrow at the death of her daughter. We know that orcas are highly intelligent and highly tuned into each other. So very clearly, she would’ve been aware that her daughter had died and was not going to revive. This was an expression of a real altered routine, which is one of the main things I look for when I’m diagnosing grief in ‘other than human’ animals.”

Now, in 2025, Tahlequah has tragically found herself in a similar situation. After giving birth to another calf in late December 2024, scientists observed her carrying the deceased calf on New Year’s Eve. As of early January, she has been seen with the calf for at least 10 days, and we are still in heartbreaking limbo as we track her whereabouts. 

“This speaks right to my heart for her,” shares Barbara. “Both as another mammalian mom, as I am, and for her as an orca whose pod is struggling to survive. On both an individual level and a species level, there’s something very traumatizing going on here.”

Tahlequah’s second grief swim underscores the profound depth of her emotional experience and raises questions about the challenges her pod faces, including declining salmon populations and environmental stressors.

Animal Grief: Beyond Anthropomorphism

Tahlequah’s actions challenge outdated views that dismiss animal emotions as mere projections of human feelings. Barbara recalls how, during her graduate studies, it was taboo to attribute emotions like love or grief to animals. “When I was in graduate school, we were taught never to say that one monkey, for example, loved another,” she explains. “That came out of a worry about anthropomorphism, which is the projection of human emotions and qualities onto other animals without the right evidence. And I think that’s very much a misconception.”

Researchers were expected to use clinical language, such as describing social bonds as “preferences for proximity.” However, as Barbara and other scientists have documented, animals exhibit behaviors that align with grief in humans — altered routines, withdrawal, loss of appetite, and visible mourning rituals.

Elephants, for example, have been observed standing vigil over deceased family members, sometimes rocking their bodies in apparent sorrow. Birds such as magpies and crows have been seen “mourning” lost mates, and even domestic animals like dogs and cats show signs of grief when a companion dies. 

According to Barbara’s extensive research, these behaviors reflect genuine emotional responses versus anthropomorphic projections.

“In the beginning, I started to pay attention to elephant stories,” she says. “I’ve spoken about this example both on the TED stage and in my book How Animals Grieve, but I think it’s worth repeating. When an elephant matriarch — a female leader of a family — named Eleanor died, the first thing that happened was that she was attempted to be revived by one of her close elephant friends. This didn’t work, and there was a whole line of elephants who came for a week to her body — this was across different elephant families. It was her close kin, but also other elephant families whom she knew well. Some elephants who came to her body were just curious; not everybody was grieving. But there were some who stood vigil at her body, who rocked with their body over her body, who expressed the sorrow in ways that were visible, and, thus, documentable to us. This really moved me.”

Elephants are known for their deep familial connections, displaying documented signs of love and empathy.

The Misconceptions About Animal Emotions

One of the biggest misconceptions is that emotions like love and grief are uniquely human. Barbara argues that such beliefs stem from a reluctance to acknowledge the complexity of non-human lives. “I don’t believe that love and grief (or fear, sorrow, joy … ) are human emotions,” she explains. “They don’t belong to us; they’re not human-only emotions. So, it’s not projection. Rather, it’s opening our eyes to see whatever other animals do by observing them very closely.”

Barbara goes on to explain that there’s also a tendency to value emotional expressions in certain animals, like orcas or elephants, while overlooking similar capacities in “food animals.” For instance, cows separated from their calves shortly after birth exhibit signs of distress, yet society often dismisses their grief because acknowledging it would challenge deeply ingrained practices regarding what foods we consume. Recognizing the emotional lives of all animals requires consistency and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.

Portrait of Bazadaise cow and calf on a farm, Gironde, France

“Something very close to my heart in terms of what I’m working on is recognizing that animals who are seen as ‘food animals’ are much more than that,” says Barbara.

How Animal Grief Can Inform Human Healing

Understanding animal grief can offer profound insights into human experiences of loss. As Barbara notes in both her TED talk and our interview, recognizing that grief is a shared experience across species can provide solace. It reminds us that love and loss are universal — part of a broader community of “doing life together.” This perspective can help normalize grief, reduce feelings of isolation, and foster a deeper connection to the natural world.

Advocating for Animal Emotions + Lessons From Tahlequah’s Grief

Recognizing the emotional lives of animals isn’t just an intellectual exercise; it calls for action. Barbara emphasizes the importance of connecting our understanding of animal emotions to ethical choices. Advocacy begins with everyday decisions, such as choosing plant-based diets to reduce the suffering of food animals or avoiding entertainment venues that exploit animals.

Public policy also plays a crucial role. Laws against animal cruelty, regulations on factory farming, and conservation efforts are essential steps toward respecting animal emotions.

In the case of orcas like Tahlequah, this includes addressing environmental issues such as water pollution, damming rivers, and overfishing. And she might be the best encouragement for advocacy yet. Barbara explains, “This second grief swim that Tahlequah is undergoing gives us an opportunity to say, ‘Alright, there’s an outpouring of compassion around the world. But are people refusing to eat the salmon these orcas desperately need for themselves? Are we working as hard as we can to turn around the water pollution that contributes to their harm? Are we aware of reversing the policy of damming our rivers to allow these food sources to be more available? It’s an invitation, as I see it, to express our caring for Tahlequah and go that step further to take action on her behalf and the behalf of the orca calf she swims with.“

Pod of Orca Killer Whales Splashing in the Pacific Ocean in Moss Landing Near Monterey Bay, California

By observing, understanding, and advocating for them, we not only honor their experiences but also deepen our own humanity.

Barbara’s work and Tahlequah’s grief swim remind us that animals are individuals with rich emotional lives. Grief, love, and other emotions transcend species, challenging us to rethink how we treat the animals who share our planet. Tahlequah’s story is a poignant testament to the bonds that connect all living beings, and we are here supporting her as she swims on.


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