Springer officially named A73, is a wild killer whale from the Northern Resident Community of whales which every summer frequent the waters off the northern part of Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...

, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 (BC). In 2002, a year after her mother had died, Springer was discovered alone and emaciated off the waters of Seattle, Washington, some 250 miles from home. Because the killer whales of the region have been studied extensively, experts were able to identify Springer by listening to her distinctive vocal calls

Whale song

Whale sounds are the sounds made by whales and which are used for different kinds of communication.The word "song" is used to describe the pattern of regular and predictable sounds made by some species of whales, notably the Humpback Whale...

 and examining photographs of her eye patch.