Marineland is an infamous park in Ontario, Canada, known for allowing its captive animals to suffer. For example, one killer whale there named Kiska has become known as “the world’s loneliest orca” due to her severe isolation and obvious signs of psychological distress. Now Ontario’s government is holding the park accountable for breaking animal cruelty […]
Tag: Killer Whale
Extinction risk to southern resident orcas accelerating as researchers raise alarm
Orca scientist Rob Williams always thought that conservation was a knowledge problem, that once science showed why a species was declining, people would fix it. But new research concludes otherwise. Even in the case of one of the world’s most charismatic species, the endangered southern resident killer whales that frequent Puget Sound are facing an […]
Orca Dies After Being Stranded Off Canadian Coast Despite Rescue Efforts
Tragedy struck off the coast of Canada’s Vancouver Island as efforts to rescue a stranded killer whale ended in sorrow. The stranded orca, identified as T109A3, sadly perished despite the valiant efforts of residents and marine officials. She left behind a calf. The incident unfolded when members of the Ehattisaht First Nation spotted the distressed […]
Research suggests that menopause explains why some female whales live so long
Females of some whale species have evolved to live drastically longer lives so they can care for their families, new research shows. The study focused on five whale species that—along with humans—are the only mammals known to go through menopause. The paper, published in the journal Nature, is titled “The evolution of menopause in toothed […]
Researchers Use Drones and Infrared Cameras to Help Endangered Orcas in the Pacific
In an audacious twist on wildlife conservation, veterinarians are now making “house calls” to the majestic killer whales of the Pacific Northwest. Armed with drones and infrared cameras, a team of intrepid researchers is pioneering a novel approach to monitoring and potentially treating endangered orcas in the wild. Source: San Diego Zoo/YouTube The focus […]
California dazzled by ‘extremely rare’ killer whale sightings off southern coast
Experts and whale watchers have been dazzled by a series of orca sightings off the southern California coast that are being described as “extremely rare”. A group of 10 whales – including a calf just a few months old – has been spotted for the past two weeks off the coast of southern California, between […]
Toxic chemicals found in oil spills and wildfire smoke detected in killer whales
Toxic chemicals produced from oil emissions and wildfire smoke have been found in muscle and liver samples from Southern Resident killer whales and Bigg’s killer whales. A study published today in Scientific Reports is the first to find polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in orcas off the coast of British Columbia, as well as in utero […]
North Atlantic orcas reveal the troubling persistence of toxic ocean pollutants
With their shiny black tops and pure white undersides, the killer whales, or orcas, are the sleekest hunters in the ocean. But being apex predators comes with a great cost. Their bodies absorb the chemical pollutants that build up in the long chain of prey leading to their meals. Now, a recent study in Environmental […]