Andy, this isn’t the update we wanted to share – but Tahlequah has lost another baby and the conditions for her surviving family members are getting worse. But there’s still time to support our fight against corporate mega-polluters putting profits above the health of our oceans and all the lives that depend on them. Will you make an emergency gift to Friends of the Earth now and take advantage of our EXTENDED Earth Day 3X Match?

This beloved orca matriarch gave birth to her baby daughter just last year, and brought new hope that the shrinking Southern Resident orca populations might still recover. Those hopes turned into heartbreak, and Tahlequah was seen carrying baby daughter’s body through Puget Sound. She kept the body afloat for days, refusing to even forage for food, because she couldn't bear to say goodbye to her little one.

This tragedy is even heavier because, back in 2018, Tahlequah was the same orca who captured the world’s attention with her “tour of grief” – carrying her dead calf in the same way for 17 days. In that time, Tahlequah swam 1,000 miles, constantly nudging her baby’s body to keep it afloat.

Right now, only 73 Southern Resident orcas like Tahlequah are left alive. But with 50% of baby orcas dying before their first birthday, these unique whales are withering away from starvation, pollution and grief. Friends of the Earth is fighting to protect their ocean habitats from being invaded by Big Oil and other mega-polluting industrial projects that could wipe out the Southern Resident orcas for good. We’ve increased our Earth Day match and we’re counting on your membership support to close the gap.

For ONE MORE DAY, your gift will go 3 times as far towards meeting our ambitious $335,000 goal and carrying the fight for our oceans and our only Earth forward. So please: Make a gift to Friends of the Earth now and have it MATCHED 3X before our extension expires at midnight tonight.

Greedy industries are one of the villains at the root of this tragedy and the possible loss of all these unique whales. But it’s clear that protecting our oceans and marine life for future generations is not a priority for Big Polluters or for their extremist MAGA allies. Big Oil corporations and industrial shipping giants continue to recklessly pollute our waters in the name of profit – putting orcas and people in grave danger.

Southern Resident orcas are just one major oil spill away from extinction. What’s more, if massive industrial projects destroy their waters, tourism will take a big hit. You see, people have flocked to the Pacific Northwest to marvel at the incredible sight of Southern Resident orcas in Puget Sound for decades. Not to mention local fisherfolk could be seeing oil-covered marine life washing up on the shores. But Donald Trump and his administration are violently slashing federal protections for imperiled wildlife and the ecosystems they need to survive, harming communities and our entire planet in the process.

His administration is empowering dirty industries to bulldoze through fragile habitat and drive forward toxic, climate-wrecking projects. Now his pro-oil, pro-corporate cronies think they have the authority to IGNORE lifesaving environmental regulations in favor of putting “energy development” over the survival of threatened species. That could mean EXTINCTION for Tahlequah’s family.

The ripple effects of losing Southern Resident orcas would impact all of the ecosystems we depend on, Andy. Ensuring orcas and our oceans survive is crucial for a livable climate, and to fighting back against the Big Polluters sacrificing our planet for short-term profits. Trump’s pro-polluter policies may change how we fight, but we won’t allow them to stop us. We’re working to “sidestep” his destructive decisions – by working around the hostile White House and pushing state and local decision-makers to increase protections for Southern Resident orcas and their fragile ocean habitats. But we can’t do it without your support, and we can’t afford to miss our crucial fundraising goals.

Your membership donation today – in any amount – will go towards closing the gap to our $335,000 Earth Day goal and advance our work to protect orcas, people and our planet from profit-hungry industries and Trump’s vicious attacks. Our match extension only lasts for ONE MORE DAY so please don’t miss this chance to make an even bigger impact in this fight.

Make a gift to Friends of the Earth now and have it MATCHED 3X before our Earth Day match extension expires. Every dollar can still go THREE TIMES AS FAR to help protect our only Earth and its most threatened inhabitants.

Standing with you,
Friends of the Earth