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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...
Irrawaddy dolphin

Helping fishers protect dolphins in Sarawak, Borneo

Fishing nets are bad news for dolphins and porpoises, so we're working with local fishers...
Dolphin watching from Chanonry Point, Scotland. Image: WDC/Charlie Phillips

Discovering inner peace – whale and dolphin watching and mental wellbeing

Guest blog If you've ever seen whales or dolphins in the wild, you'll know that...
Whale tail

An ocean of hope

In a monumental, jaw-dropping demonstration of global community, the nations of the world made history...
The infamous killing cove at Taiji, Japan

Why the Taiji dolphin hunt can never be justified

Supporters of the dolphin slaughter in Japan argue that killing a few hundred dolphins every...
Image: Peter Linforth

Tracking whales from space will help us save them

Satellite technology holds one of the keys to 21st century whale conservation, so we're exploring...
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 -...

Stranded Sowerby’s beaked whale on Isle of Lewis, Scotland

Today WDC assisted the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme (SMASS) to post mortem a young (3.5 metre) Sowerby’s beaked whale at the Port of Ness, Isle of Lewis, Scotland.

Sowerby's beaked whale


The whale was male, had a good blubber layer and had been a healthy individual. Cause of death was a blunt force trauma that resulted in a fractured lower jaw. The injury meant that the whale was not able to feed and as a result his stomach was empty.

Sowerby's beaked whale

Sand in his lungs indicated that the whale live stranded (probably on Monday afternoon), but a lack of muscular bruising suggested that he died within a short time of stranding.

A few Sowerby’s beaked whales strand each year around Scotland and a complete record of Scottish strandings can be found on the SMASS website