Orca calf rescue: Trudeau non-committal on funding B.C. First Nation’s efforts [Video]

The B.C. First Nation involved in the ongoing effort to rescue a stranded killer whale calf on Vancouver Island has asked the government for financial support – but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was non-committal when asked about the request Friday.

Several weeks into the collaborative effort to help the orphaned calf – named kʷiisaḥiʔis, or Brave Little Hunter – to escape a remote tidal lagoon near the community of Zeballos, the Ehattesaht Nation has launched an online fundraiser seeking $500,000 to recoup mounting costs.

“Since her arrival, kʷiisaḥiʔis has become part of the Ehattesaht family,” the GoFundMe reads. “But our family is small and we are learning to understand our own limitations so we are asking both the federal and provincial governments to support us.”

Trudeau was asked about funding the nation’s efforts – which are happening in co-ordination with staff from the Vancouver Aquarium and Fisheries and Oceans Canada …