A coalition of conservation and animal welfare groups are urging Iceland‘s president to step in and stop any plans the prime minister has to issue a whaling licence to Europe’s last whaler before the Icelandic election at the end of the month. Earlier this year, the country granted a one-year licence to Hvalur to kill […]
Tag: Whale
Outrage against Canada’s Marineland theme park after fifth beluga dies
A fifth beluga has died at Canada’s Marineland, as questions mount over the future of both the controversial theme park and one of the world’s largest populations of captive whales. The most recent fatality marks the 17th beluga to die at the Niagara Falls aquarium since 2019. Neither the Ontario government nor the park have […]
Near-extinct North Atlantic right whales get a small population boost
The population of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale increased by five individuals, bringing the estimated total to 372 in 2023, according to an Oct. 22 report. The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) population has declined since 2011. However, the slight rise in recent years may signal some stability for these ocean giants, […]
New Calf Sighting Brings Brief Hope for Endangered Orcas, But Challenges Remain
Hope surfaced for the endangered southern resident killer whales when a new calf named L128 was spotted swimming alongside their mother. This rare sighting briefly uplifted researchers who had seen only one other calf earlier in the year, which sadly died after a few months. However, by mid-October, L128 appeared to be struggling, as it […]
Petition: Tell the International Whaling Commission to Reconsider Approving Whale Sanctuary
Whale advocates’ hopes were dashed at the recent International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Lima, Peru, where a critical vote to establish a whale sanctuary was blocked. The proposed South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary would have made the South Atlantic permanently off limits to whaling, and has been considered at almost every IWC meeting since 1999. […]
‘Access to food is not the problem’: new orca study deepens mystery behind endangerment
Last month, the ailing southern resident killer whales of the Pacific gave researchers a rare moment of hope: a new calf was spotted swimming alongside her mother. Until that point, only one calf had appeared this year, only to die a few months later. But by mid-October, this new calf, named L128, also appeared to […]
Sperm Whales Vanish from Gulf of California as Ecosystem Shifts
A new study highlights the concerning departure of sperm whales from Mexico’s Gulf of California, suggesting broader signs of ecosystem instability. The study, published in PeerJ Life and Environment, details how these apex predators have vanished from the region in response to dramatic drops in the jumbo squid population, their primary food source. Sperm whales […]
Inspired by nature – 6 times biomimicry has transformed outdoor gear
Recently, I traveled to the Swiss Alps with the outdoor brand Columbia to test out their newest technology. Omni-Heat Arctic is an insulating technology that is inspired by how a polar bear‘s fur works to keep it warm in frigid arctic conditions. Though polar bears appear white, they actually have heat-absorbing black skin and two […]