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Vaquita. Photo Thomas Jefferson

Scientific Committee gives first ever official species extinction warning

Photo: Thomas Jefferson We have welcomed the urgent call by experts to protect the vaquita...
blue whale

Whale fossil from Peru may have been heavier than blue whale

Scientists examining the bones of a 39 million-year-old ancient whale have concluded that it may...
Humpback whale © Christopher Swann

Humpback whales breach in synchronisation

Humpback whales are renowned for their incredible acrobatic displays, but a family in the USA...
Long-finned pilot whale

Unusual activity witnessed before pilot whale stranding

Just days after a pod of long-finned pilot whales stranded on an island in the...

US aquarium loses court battle to import beluga whales

Georgia Aquarium has lost a legal battle to bring wild caught beluga whales from Russia to the United States.

The Aquarium had been trying to overturn a US federal decision which initially denied its request to import 18 whales captured in Sea of Okhotsk, Russia, on the grounds that the Aquarium had not met conditions required to approve its controversial plan.

That original refusal to allow a permit has now been upheld and delivers a significant blow to the captivity industry in the US. It also offers hope to the beluga whales in the Sea of Okhotsk as live capture for public display is one of the most serious threats facing this population.

WDC was one of several official intervening parties present at the recent court hearings in August, and assisted with briefings supporting the case to deny the Georgia Aquarium’s permit application.

SeaWorld, as part of a breeding consortium that includes Georgia Aquarium, planned to acquire the majority of these belugas. However, in an interesting twist earlier this month, SeaWorld issued a statement that it was no longer interested in taking the belugas.

Beluga whale