POLL: Should there be a worldwide ban on captive orca shows?

POLL: Should there be a worldwide ban on captive orca shows?

California Governor Jerry Brown signed the Orca Protection and Safety Act into law on Tuesday, banning the breeding of killer whales in captivity, as well as the circus-like shows that have them performing for crowds. Facing increasing criticism since the 2013 documentary Blackfish exposed concerns about orca welfare, SeaWorld had already agreed to discontinue breeding […]

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POLL: Should Japan’s killing of dolphins and whales be stopped?

POLL: Should Japan’s killing of dolphins and whales be stopped?

Twenty dolphins were slaughtered on Friday in the southwestern Japanese town of Taiji, marking the beginning of the cove’s infamous annual dolphin hunt, according to local media, Agence France-Presse reports. The hunt has attracted global condemnation since 2009, when it was featured in the Academy Award-winning documentary The Cove, which depicted how fishermen round up […]

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Wildlife catastrophe at Amazon dam a warning for future Tapajós dams

Wildlife catastrophe at Amazon dam a warning for future Tapajós dams

When the Balbina Dam was completed in 1986, it flooded primary forest in the state of Amazonas along Brazil’s Uatumã River, forming a massive reservoir speckled by 3,546 flood-induced islands. In 1990, the Reserva Biológica (REBIO) do Uatumã was established, protecting the entire 443,700 hectare (109,6427 acre) reservoir, dubbed Balbina Lake, along with the adjacent […]

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