Animal welfare campaigners have condemned the killing of a trapped minke whale off the coast of Taiji, a town in Japan best known for its annual dolphin cull. The young whale, which had been trapped inside nets since 24 December, was killed early on Monday morning before being taken ashore wrapped in blue tarpaulin, according […]
Tag: cetaceans
Petition: Big Mammals Suffer Brain Damage in Captivity According to Research
Many animals, most notably big mammals, often exhibit signs of duress as a result of being held in zoos or aquariums. These activities can include behaving in an abnormally aggressive manner, pacing, or even engaging in self-destructive behaviors. One expert in this field is Shubhobroto Ghosh, the Wildlife Projects Manager for Animals in the Wild, […]
Petition: Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises Face Unprecedented Risk of Extinction, Hundreds of Scientists Warn
More than 350 scientists and conservationists from 40 countries are calling for global action to protect whales, dolphins, and porpoises from extinction. In a letter, the global coalition of scientists and conservationists warn that more than half of all living cetacean species now have a concerning conservation status: 13 species are “Critically Endangered” or “Endangered,” […]
Two beluga whales are transported from captivity in China to a new ocean refuge 6,000 miles away thanks to British charity
They are creatures who always seem to have a smile on their faces. And now, two beluga whales are sure to be feeling much happier thanks to British charity the Sea Life Trust. The whales, called Little Grey and Little White, have been freed from captivity in China to swim in the sea for the […]
Rapidly warming oceans have left many northern marine mammals swimming in troubled waters. But perhaps none more so than than the strange and mysterious “unicorn of the sea,” the narwhal.
An exhaustive new study estimates, habitat suitable to narwhals could shrink by a staggering twenty-five percent by century’s end. Thanks to manmade climate change, their watery home is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth. And, in a scant few decades, sea-ice, so vital to their survival, could be gone altogether during Arctic summers. Narwhals […]
In Sri Lanka, gillnets targeting tuna claim dolphin lives
COLOMBO — For Nilantha Kodithuwakku, a naturalist involved in whale and dolphin-watching operations, it’s always a spectacular scene to witness pods of playful dolphins jumping and spinning in the air. But occasionally the scene he encounters is of dolphin carcasses, either floating or washed ashore, with the tail flukes missing.Charles Anderson, a marine biologist based […]
Petition: End Whale and Dolphin Captivity in the U.S.
In June 2019, Canada passed The Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act (Bill S-203). This law makes “it illegal to hold any cetacean in captivity, for reasons other than rehabilitation and scientific research. Breeding or trading reproductive materials of whales and dolphins will also be prohibited. Any breach of this ban carries fines […]
Baby Dolphin Dies While Performing at Dolphinarium in Bulgaria
It’s been widely known for some time now that cetaceans do not belong in captivity. Marine mammals like whales and dolphins are incredibly intelligent and highly social animals that belong in the wild with their pods. Like all other captive wild animals, their health is also negatively affected and deteriorates when in captivity. In the […]