The Faroe Islands have begun a “horrifically cruel” whale hunt with dozens of pilot whales already having been killed this season. More than 60 pilot whales—the largest member of the dolphin family—were killed during two hunts that took place in the Atlantic Ocean off the Danish territory, between May 8 and May 15, Euro News […]
Tag: whaling
Tail first and making an early splash, some whales just can’t wait to be born
Did you know whales are born tail first? They enter their water world being able to swim from day dot. From the moment they’re born, their first instinct is to swim to the surface for air. While most enjoy the comforts of hanging out in mum’s tummy until she reaches warm northern Australian waters, some […]
How do you study one of the world’s rarest whales?
Nearly twice the size of Africa, the North Pacific seems to be endless. But somewhere in that vast ocean, 30 eastern North Pacific right whales (Eubalaena japonica) live their lives, mostly out of the view of human observers. These remaining leviathans are the survivors of past Yankee whaling – in Herman Melville’s famous words “so […]
Whale Songs Reveal Secrets of Blue Whale Behavior in New Zealand Waters
The latest study on New Zealand’s blue whale population highlights the species’ behavior and how it is influenced by environmental conditions. The study, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, shows that blue whales in New Zealand’s South Taranaki Bight are present year-round, with strong seasonality in their foraging and breeding behavior, which is affected […]
Countries push to undermine ban on commercial whaling
A 40-year-old ban on commercial whaling is in danger after “misleading” resolutions were put forward at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Portorož, Slovenia. The wildlife protection organisations OceanCare and Humane Society International said proposals by pro-whaling countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, could reverse progress made by the IWC. Antigua and Barbuda has submitted […]
Whales and walruses: our cruel fascination with stranded sealife
In the light of the sad and disputatious fate of Freya, a displaced walrus who had the misfortune to choose Norway as the last stop on her misbegotten tour of Europe (having gone from Northumberland to the Netherlands, where latterly she dozed on a moored navy submarine and raised speculation that she might be making […]
‘Insanity’: entangled whale in Queensland sparks renewed calls for shark net removal
More whales are likely to get entangled every year unless the “sheer insanity” of shark nets are removed from Queensland waters, scientists say. Rescue teams freed an adult humpback from shark nets on Tuesday morning, taking the tally to at least seven whales caught in Queensland nets in less than three months – six of […]
Fin Whales Dying in Agony After Being Harpooned With Multiple Grenades
Whales are dying in agony after being harpooned with grenades that don’t immediately kill them and fail to explode inside of them. Icelandic whalers have long used grenade harpoons skewers to kill whales and according to experts, whalers use the weapons on an “alarming” number of fin whales before they drag them to shore, where […]