IQUITOS, Peru – The Plight of the Pink River Dolphin is a short documentary investigating the illegal exploitation of endangered pink river dolphins in the Amazon, driven by a myth about their magical properties. The film reveals how pusangas—perfumes made from dolphin oil and body parts—are sold in markets and online, despite the species being […]
Tag: dolphins
As Oceans Warm, Predators Are Falling Out of Sync with Their Prey
For decades on the U.S. Mid-Atlantic coast, recreational anglers have braved the cold temperatures of late October and November to chase one of the region’s most iconic fish species, the striped bass. This season, just offshore of New Jersey and New York, the fall run was especially strong. “The amount of fish and [their size] […]
Otters among UK wildlife carrying toxic ‘forever chemicals’, analysis shows
Dolphins, otters, porpoises, fish and birds across the UK have been found to have toxic “forever chemicals” in their tissue and organs, analysis of official data has revealed. Manmade chemicals called PFAS, known as forever chemicals because they do not degrade, are used in a wide range of consumer products and industrial processes and some […]
‘They’re stuck’: Cape Cod seeing more whale, turtle and dolphin strandings
While Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is known as a popular vacation destination in the north-east US, it has built a reputation for an entirely different reason this year: animal strandings. Dolphins, whales, seals and turtles are turning up in large numbers on the beaches of the famous peninsula in a phenomenon that has experts scrambling to […]
Fentanyl Found in Dolphins Raises Environmental Concerns
A surprising discovery has highlighted a troubling link between human pharmaceuticals and marine life. Researchers at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi recently identified traces of fentanyl and other drugs in the blubber of bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, signaling a growing environmental issue. The finding came after a routine boating survey in September 2020 […]
Wildlife and humans face shared health risks from plastic pollution
Humans are surrounded by plastic. So are animals. While numerous studies have shown the wide-ranging health effects in humans linked to plastic, very few have looked at how plastic, especially microplastic, impacts wildlife. That’s beginning to change, contributor Sharon Guynup reports for Mongabay. “Plastic pollution has been found on every continent and in every ocean, […]
‘It’s nonstop’: how noise pollution threatens the return of Norway’s whales
From the moment that the biologist Dr Heike Vester presses play, the sound of the static of the fjord fills the room. First comes the constant, steady rumbling of a boat engine. Then, every eight seconds, like a foreboding bass drum, comes the explosion of seismic airguns – extremely loud blasts used in oil and […]
Belgium Bans Dolphinariums, Marks Major Victory for Animal Rights
Belgium has become the seventh country globally and the fourth in Europe to permanently ban dolphinariums, marking a significant step forward for Animal rights advocates. This decision follows decades of persistent efforts by GAIA, an organization dedicated to ending the captivity of dolphins and other marine animals. Flanders, the final Belgian region to allow dolphinariums, […]