Days before the start of the summer fishing season, when guides and outfitters on Canada’s west coast gamble their financial prospects for the year, fishing lodge owner Ryan Chamberland received devastating news. The coastal waters of Vancouver Island, which he and four generations of his family had fished for salmon, would be out of bounds. […]
Tag: Killer Whale
POLL: Should the use of Orcas in entertainment be banned?
While we celebrated a major victory when SeaWorld pledged to end captive breeding of orcas and theatrical shows, animal advocates are questioning whether the company is actually serious in light of how it’s continued to use them, and are continuing to work towards making sure it can’t go back on its word. Now, the Animal […]
Orca ‘apocalypse’: half of killer whales doomed to die from pollution
At least half of the world’s killer whale populations are doomed to extinction due to toxic and persistent pollution of the oceans, according to a major new study. Although the poisonous chemicals, PCBs, have been banned for decades, they are still leaking into the seas. They become concentrated up the food chain; as a result, […]
Grieving Mother Orca Carried Her Dead Calf for 17 Days
For 17 days, a mother orca carried her dead calf in what scientists are calling an unprecedented display of grief. Tahlequah, or J35, as she’s officially known, traveled hundreds of miles refusing to let go of her newborn girl who sadly lived less than an hour before passing away. While her tragic story has garnered […]
POLL: Should the keeping of dolphins and whales in tanks be banned worldwide?
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 […]
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 […]