In a historic victory for whales and dolphins, France just passed legislation that animal advocates hope will ultimately bring their captivity to an end. The new legislation bans captivity of whales, dolphins and porpoises, with exceptions for bottlenose dolphins and orcas who are already being held in aquariums, including those at Marineland Antibes, but it […]
Tag: marine mammals
POLL: Should this Canadian pipeline project be scrapped to save killer whales?
On one shore there are snow-capped mountains. On the other side loom towering skyscrapers. These churning waters off the coast of Vancouver are marked by a constant flow of ferries and containers ships – but they are also home to 80 or so orcas. Known as the southern resident killer whales the group has long […]
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 […]
POLL: Should orcas and dolphins be kept in captivity?
Environmental campaigners have said they are taking legal action against a French marine park over the treatment of its orca whales and other animals after a number were killed during a storm. Marineland in Antibes reopened a week ago after suffering severe damage in deadly storms that struck the Côte d’Azur in southern France in […]
If You Care About Birds, Watch This 4-Minute Video
“Midway Atoll is a collection of three small islands in the North Pacific, and one of the most remote places on earth… located near the apex of what is being called the Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirling soup of millions of tons of plastic pollution. In fact, much of this plastic can not be seen […]
Swim with dolphins, then eat them in a cafe? Give the poor creatures a break
It’s the most barbarous bit of mixed messaging since the Icelandic whaler Kristjam Loftsson declared he was making his whaling operation “eco-friendly” by running his ships on – whale oil. The Japanese town of Taiji, site of the annual slaughter of thousands of cetaceans as featured in the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, has declared its […]
“Weaners” get a second chance!
The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California plays a critical role in the survival of many marine mammals along the northern and central California coast. Founded in 1975 on a former Nike Missile site in the Marin Headlands, it took in its first seven patients. Much has changed since then and the Center is now […]
Swine Flu Discovered in Marine Mammals
Scientists have recently published a paper revealing that Northern elephant seals in California contracted swine flu (H1N1) during the epidemic that affected thousands of people in 2010. This is the first time that this virus has been discovered in marine mammals, establishing Northern elephant seals as vectors for human pandemics and determining that this strain […]