It’s been nearly 9 years since The Cove brought the story of dolphin massacres in Taiji, Japan, and the issue of captive cetaceans before the eyes of millions of people around the world. The film shows viewers the images of fishers corralling dozens of thrashing and squealing dolphins into nets set up in Japan’s sheltered […]
Tag: Killer Whale
Scientists witness first reported case of killer-whale infanticide
Scientists in the Canadian province of British Columbia have documented what is believed to be the first reported case of an orca whale killing an infant of the same species. “We knew right away that this was a remarkable event,” said Jared Towers, a Cetacean researcher with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, of the encounter he […]
‘Mega-colonies’ of 1.5 million penguins discovered in Antarctica
Huge “mega-colonies” of penguins have been discovered near the Antarctic peninsula, hosting more than 1.5 million birds. Researchers say it shows the area is a vital refuge from climate change and human activities and should be protected by a vast new marine wildlife reserve currently under consideration. The huge numbers of Adélie penguins were found […]
World’s biggest wildlife reserve planned for Antarctica in global campaign
A global campaign is being launched to turn a huge tract of the seas around the Antarctic into the world’s biggest sanctuary, protecting wildlife and helping the fight against climate change. The huge 1.8m sq km reserve – five times the size of Germany – would ban all fishing in a vast area of the […]
POLL: Should Lolita the Lonely Orca be Freed?
Beloved game show host and animal advocate Bob Barker has a brilliant suggestion for the Miami Seaquarum’s New Year’s resolution – let Lolita, the marine park’s lone orca, go home in 2018. Barker partnered up with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to make a video calling on the Miami Seaquarium to release […]
POLL: Should Orcas and Dolphins be freed from all Seaquariums?
Animal advocates have been fighting for years to free Lolita, a lone orca at the Miami Seaquarium, and now they’re getting some additional support from city officials. Lolita was once a wild and free member of the southern resident killer whales who live in the Pacific Northwest, but she was taken for public display in […]
POLL: Should captivity for all killer whales be banned?
After just three months of life, the Orca calf named Kyara died this week. According to a spokesperson at SeaWorld in San Antonio, she had some “very serious and progressive health issues over the last week.” It was in March, 2016, that SeaWorld announced that it was ending its breeding program for orcas, meaning that […]
Should dolphins and orcas be kept in captivity?
Animal advocates have been arguing for years that Lolita, the lone orca at the Miami Seaquarium, has spent decades living in a tank that’s far too small for her. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has historically maintained it’s legal, it looks like the agency might be changing its tune. Lolita was once a […]
5 Ways to Celebrate Orca Awareness Month
June is Orca Awareness Month, and orca fans and advocates are using it as an opportunity to raise awareness about the ways we can protect this amazing species — specifically an endangered population living in the Pacific Northwest. These orcas, otherwise known as the southern resident killer whales, live in three distinct pods (J, K […]
POLL: Should Orcas be bred and displayed in Chinese marine parks?
SeaWorld announced a year ago that it would end orca breeding at its parks in the U.S. One year later and nearly 8,000 miles away in China, another such program is just getting started. The Chimelong Group, one of the country’s biggest amusement park operators, revealed that it opened a breeding center for orcas on […]
