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Fishers' involvement is crucial. Image: WDC/JTF

When porpoises and people overlap

We're funding a project in Hong Kong that's working with fishing communities to help save...

Mindful conservation – why we need a new respect for nature

'We should look at whales and dolphins as the indigenous people of the seas -...
A dolphin called Arnie with a shell

Dolphins catch fish using giant shell tools

In Shark Bay, Australia, two groups of dolphins have figured out how to use tools...
Common dolphins at surface

Did you know that dolphins have unique personalities?

We all have personalities, and between the work Christmas party and your family get-together, perhaps...
Leaping harbour porpoise

The power of harbour porpoise poo

We know we need to save the whale to save the world. Now we are...
Holly. Image: Miray Campbell

Meet Holly, she’s an incredible orca leader

Let me tell you the story of an awe-inspiring orca with a fascinating family story...
Humpback whale. Image: Christopher Swann

A story about whales and humans

As well as working for WDC, I write books for young people. Stories; about the...
Risso's dolphin at surface

My lucky number – 13 years studying amazing Risso’s dolphins

Everything we learn about the Risso's dolphins off the coast of Scotland amazes us and...

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!