VICTORIA, CA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Conditions are looking grim for the Southern Resident Orca population.

The Center for Whale Research says that team members recently observed the K and L pods during an Oct. 29 excursion just south of Victoria. Almost all of the K pod’s members were confirmed to be traveling together with one notable exception.

31-year-old K26, also known as Lobo, is now listed as missing after not being seen during researchers’ last three encounters with the K pod.

Most of the L-pod was also observed during the same excursion, where researchers were hoping to get a closer look at a recently born calf. MBN previously reported that the calf, L128, was born sometime in mid-September.

However, researchers saw the same calf in poor health just a few weeks later. L128 hasn’t been seen since then.

The total number of Southern Resident Orcas is hovering in the low 70s, pending confirmation of the loss of K26 and L128.