team lured the orca close to the capture boat, and then Foster got in the water, carefully placed a soft rope around her tail, gently moved her into a sling and hoisted her into the boat. By all accounts, the operation went smoothly and the Springer rescue was underway. Springer was then moved to a seapen at a government research station in Manchester. For four weeks, she was given live salmon and tested for medical conditions. To avoid creating a dependency on humans, staff kept their contact with her to a minimum and released food into her pen at random times of day. Her food, sometimes laced with medication, was delivered via a chute that was arranged so that Springer could not see the person putting the food into the chute. Her health improved and she began to eat more, approaching the 60–80 pounds of fish per day needed to increase her weight. After medical tests revealed no genetic disorders or communicable diseases, Springer was cleared for a return to Canada. Another hurdle was to secure a means of transport for the whale's 250-mile journey. A truck ride would have been long and bumpy, and an airplane prohibitively expensive. Project SeaWolf’s Bob McLaughlin persuaded a boat building company from Whidbey Island, Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, to donate use of the Catalina Jet, a 144-foot-long catamaran capable of traveling more than 40 mph. Springer's move to her home waters needed to be well-timed to maximize her chances of re-integrating into a wild pod. To minimize her habituation to humans, she needed to be moved as soon as possible and had to be released during the time her pod was usually present in Johnstone Strait between May 6 and July 25, usually in mid-July. On July 9, OrcaLab detected orca calls closely related to Springer's, moving towards Johnstone Strait. On July 10, the A-11 matriline, her extended family, appeared in Johnstone Strait. Return to Johnstone Strait On July 12, 2002, under the watch of news helicopters, Springer was lifted by crane from the holding pen and placed in a specially constructed shallow pool aboard the catamaran. The boat departed Manchester, but broke down shortly after it began its journey north. Plastic debris was sucked into one of the catamaran's intakes, damaging the high-speed vessel. The team decided to head back to the dock, put Springer back in the seapen, and wait for