Skip to content
All articles
  • All articles
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Green Whale
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
Orca Lulu's body contained PCB levels 100x above the safe limit. Image: SMASS

Toxic tides, troubled whales: the toll of chemical pollution

In last week's blog, we examined the challenges whales and dolphins face as they travel...
Group of orcas at surface

Breaking barriers for whales and dolphins at the Convention of Migratory Species

Many species of whales, dolphins and porpoises undertake long journeys, encountering human-made obstacles along the...
Tokyo

WDC in Japan – Part 1: Finding allies in Tokyo

At the end of May, I embarked on an incredible journey to Japan on behalf...
Amazon river dolphins leaping

The state of river dolphin conservation

At Whale and Dolphin Conservation, we partner with conservationists and communities fighting to save river...
Researchers in Southeast Alaska studying whale poo

We’re funding crucial research on whale poo to combat the climate crisis

The ocean is one of the lungs of our planet, and whales help it to...
Narwhal surfacing

The unicorns of the sea must be protected – CITES

The narwhal, is under threat. Often referred to as the unicorns of the sea, narwhals,...
Sperm whales

We’re pushing governments for action for our climate heroes – whales

The climate crisis is the greatest threat to all life on Earth. But there is...
Dolphins captured for captivity in Taiji. Image: Hans Peter Roth

Loved and killed – whales and dolphins in Japan

Protests and criticism from outside Japan in response to the slaughter of whales and dolphins...

Beluga Action Alert! It's Better to be Free!

Belugas in the wild are a truly cosmopolitan species – they inhabit a wide variety of areas in the Arctic, from the deep ocean to coastal waters and estuaries.  They often visit shallow river mouths and are known to swim up rivers in search of food, and have also been found diving in deep submarine trenches.  When Arctic ice starts to form in the fall, belugas leave their summer homes of bays, fjords, and estuaries to venture into the cold Arctic Ocean.  They overwinter in polynyas (areas of open water surrounded by sea ice), near the edges of pack ice, or in areas of shifting ice where plenty of ocean is still available.

In captivity, there is no variation in the belugas’ habitat, and they do not migrate.  They stay in a concrete tank their entire lives and do not experience the freezing and thawing cycle of their native Arctic home.  There are no summers spent in estuaries, and no deep dives through seemingly bottomless trenches.  Being taken from the wild means they will never again experience the natural changes and rhythms of the ocean.

Each week, we will ask our supporters to join us in sending a message to one of Georgia Aquarium’s sponsors: that wild belugas do not belong in captivity, and they should not support an organization that seeks to imprison these amazing, charismatic, and wide-roaming beings.

This week, please join Whale and Dolphin Conservation in telling AT&T that “it’s better to be free.”  Visit their facebook page to send them a message (just copy & paste, if you’d like): “AT&T- you say you strive to be sustainable!  NOAA has said taking belugas from Russia is NOT sustainable!  Say NO to sponsoring the Georgia Aquarium! Wild Russian belugas don’t belong in captive US tanks. It’s better to be free!”

Thank you for your support in keeping belugas wild, safe, and free. Check back next week for a new beluga fact & another action alert!