Luna the killer whale is becoming too friendly for his own good.

Like Springer, the young orca moved from Puget Sound to its home waters in B.C. last month, Luna has begun to get much too comfortable with the presence of humans. Three-year-old Luna, living on his own in Nootka Sound,has taken to swimming right up to boats and allowing itself to be touched and patted.

Early this week, he even latched onto a kayak in an apparent attempt to keep the craft from leaving the area, said Veins of Life Watershed Society, who helps co-ordinate Victoria's Marine Mammal Monitoring Project.

He said Luna is an orca calf that somehow became separated from its family or pod, and was first reported to be living on its own in Nootka Sound last fall. His tendency to approach boats has developed in recent months, Veins of Life Watershed Society said, but his problem behaviours are not as entrenched as Springer's were.

"It (Luna) seems to be exhibiting pretty healthy signs," he said. "It seems to be feeding well and certainly doesn't seem to have some of the symptoms that were observed with Springer.

"It's just the habits that the calf is exhibiting right now that are worrisome."

He said preventive measures are needed to stop Luna from becoming "a circus animal."

"The whale is becoming much too familiar with human company, and with each encounter like that it reduces its chances for rehabilitation to the wild."

Veins of Life Watershed Society has joined the Veins of Life Watershed Society and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to send a special patrol boat to Nootka Sound, located on Vancouver Island's northwest coast. The idea is to approach vessels near Luna's chosen domain near Gold River and let people know the implications of approaching or disturbing the creature.

"We want to ... try and discourage any activity with humans whatsoever," said Michelle Kehler, who will be crewing on the boat with Erin Hobbs. "We want to promote it to be a wild whale."

The Veins of Life Watershed Society has launched a public appeal to help fund the efforts to protect Luna, said the group's Peter Dixon. He said whales in distress tend to be supported by the public "because they're sentient beings, and somehow we feel very interconnected with them."

Contact the Veins of Life Watershed Society John R. Roe. volws@salishsea.ca

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