Skin lesions on endangered killer whales are getting worse, study says

VANCOUVER — Southern resident killer whales are increasingly suffering from skin diseases that leave large blotches on their distinctive black-and-white colouration, new research says. 
The research, published Thursday in the journal PLOS One, analyzed photographs of more than 18,000 orca sightings from 2004 to 2016 in the Salish Sea, finding that the skin lesions have become “strikingly” more prevalent, posing another potential threat to a population already facing a rang