In cities, human lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic have offered some respite to the natural world, with clear skies and the return of wildlife to waterways. Now evidence of a drop in underwater noise pollution has led experts to predict the crisis may also be good news for whales and other sea mammals. Researchers examining […]
Tag: whales
In Sri Lanka, gillnets targeting tuna claim dolphin lives
COLOMBO — For Nilantha Kodithuwakku, a naturalist involved in whale and dolphin-watching operations, it’s always a spectacular scene to witness pods of playful dolphins jumping and spinning in the air. But occasionally the scene he encounters is of dolphin carcasses, either floating or washed ashore, with the tail flukes missing.Charles Anderson, a marine biologist based […]
Tranquil setting and a seafood meal plan: the retirement home for whales
More than 300 beluga whales and 60 orcas remain captive in aquariums around the world, with recent films such as Blackfish highlighting the ethics of breeding them for entertainment. The stress can be even more dire for ageing whales that are no longer able to perform for audiences but remain doomed to live out their […]
Petition: Pregnant Whales in Norway are Slaughtered for Commercial Whaling
In 1986, the International Whaling Commission globally banned commercial whaling. However,Norway, Japan, and Iceland continue large whale hunts for commercial purposes under “objections” to the ban. Japan is often recognized as one of the countries to hunt the most whales, but Norway has actually surpassed them. According to Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), “between 2000-2015, […]
Another Beautiful Whale Found Dead with 220 Pounds of Trash in Stomach
More animals are being harmed because of our plastic habits. In a northern Scottish Island, a sperm whale washed up onto the beach with 220 pounds of plastic in its stomach. The whale beached itself and died December 5, where it was later found by researchers. When a necropsy was performed on the whale, researchers […]
Canaries in the coal mine? North Atlantic right whale use of key habitat changing rapidly
Scientists say that behavioral changes observed in North Atlantic right whales should be considered a “canary in the coal mine” scenario. A team of researchers with the Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Syracuse University recently published the results of a six-year study that focused on the North Atlantic right […]
Captivity Kills! False Killer Whale Kina is the 141st Cetacean to Die at Sea Life Park Hawaii
In Taiji, Japan, there is an annual large-scale hunt for dolphins. They are forced into a cove and then either slaughtered to be sold for their meat or they’re taken into captivity to be forced to perform for the entertainment of humans. A recent devastating video taken at the cove by the Dolphin Project showed […]
Norway Now Kills More Whales Than Japan And Iceland Combined
Norway is now the world’s leading whaling nation, killing more whales in the past two years than Japan and Iceland combined. A new report released today calls on the international community to respond to Norway’s systematic efforts to weaken management rules and improve market conditions for its whalers. Frozen in Time: How Modern Norway Clings […]
