Listen
A baby orca separated from its pod will be kept in a temporary pool over the weekend as weather conditions worsen.
The calf, named Toa, is thought to be between four to six months old, and was stranded on rocks near Plimmerton on Sunday.
The Department of Conservation is leading the care of Toa.
Ian Angus, DOC Marine Species manager, talks to Lisa Owen.
Ian Angus says his team are talking to international experts about their options for baby orca Toa.
"They're basically saying, 'You might need to start planning for a scenario where the calf starts to deteriorate and have to start make some hard decisions about it.
"But we think we're far from that at the moment. But obviously at any point with a wild animal in the conditions it's been through, we might have to review that decision."
Angus could not give a timeline on that process.