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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...

An Olympic tragedy

Oh Russia. Why? As media attention turns once again towards the 2014 Winter Olympics, the spotlight falls on the host city – the resort of Sochi on the Black Sea.  In a series of spectacularly ill-advised public relations stunts, the Russian organising committee has shown it is not only out of touch with the rest of the world but is also at odds with the International Olympic Committee’s own environmental mandate!

Narnia - captured orca in RussiaFirst came word that a wild-caught Black Sea dolphin would be participating in the torch bearing ceremony and then, more recently, the devastating news that seven wild orcas had been captured in the Russian Far East to supply domestic and international marine parks. WDC has learned that two of these orcas are now on their way to Sochi to be put on display and provide ‘entertainment’ to Sochi’s Olympic visitors. As WDC’s Erich Hoyt says, “these will be the first orcas ever displayed in public in Russia. A sad day for Russia, a sad thing for the Olympics, a very sad situation for 2 orcas who now will be flying across 7 time zones, some 7,427 kilometres (4,614 miles) to spend the rest of what remains of their lives in captivity”.

Please send the Olympic organising committee the strong message that intelligent, sentient whales and dolphins belong in the ocean and not in a tank. Sign and share this petition.

Help support our work to protect these amazing whales by adopting an orca.