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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...
All policy news
  • All policy news
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Stop whaling
  • Strandings

Minke whale hunts stop in Iceland

Iceland’s commercial hunt of minke whales has ended for this year. The common minke whale is the...
Port River dolphins

New report reveals 100,000 dolphins and small whales hunted every year

When you hear the words ‘dolphin hunts’ it’s likely that you think of Japan or...

Japan set to resume commercial whaling

Reports from Japan suggest that the government they will formally propose plans to resume commercial...

End the whale hunts! Icelandic fin whaler isolated as public mood shifts

Here’s a sight I hoped never again to witness. A boat being scrubbed and repainted...

Australian Government to block Japanese whaling proposal

Japanese Government officials have reportedly confirmed that they will propose the resumption of commercial whaling...

Did Icelandic whalers really kill a blue whale?

*Warning - this blog contains an image that you may find upsetting* They say a...

Icelandic whalers breach international law and kill iconic, protected whale by mistake

Icelandic whalers out hunting fin whales for the first time in three years appear to...

Pregnant whales once again a target for Japanese whalers

Figures from Japan's whaling expedition to Antarctica during the 2017/18 austral summer have revealed that...

Doubts remain after Icelandic Marine Institute claims slaughtered whale was a hybrid not a blue

Experts remain sceptical of initial test results issued by the Icelandic Marine Institute, which indicate...

Norway's whaling season begins

April 1st saw the start of the whaling season in Norway. Despite a widely-accepted international moratorium...

SOS alert for whales off Norway!

I have to admit to bitter disappointment when I arrived in Tromsø, northern Norway, a...

Icelandic fin whale hunting to resume

Iceland’s only fin whaling company, Hvalur hf,  announced today that it will resume fin whaling...

‘Talking’ orca not such great news

An orca held at a captive facility in France has apparently been trained to speak according to scientists.

The whale, called ’Wikie,’ is currently held in a tank at Marineland in Antibes. She has been recorded saying ‘Hello,’ ‘May,’ ‘one, two, three,’ and other words and phrases, after copying trainers saying the words directly or in recordings. This was part of a study created by scientists from St. Andrews and Madrid Universities.

Orcas, bottlenose dolphins and belugas are all species that vocalize, with individuals capable of learning and adapting  a variety of sounds.  Some communities of orcas even have their own ‘dialects, ’ or variations of a more widely used ‘language.’

Whilst this does highlight how intelligent orcas are, the study lends nothing to our understanding of wild orcas or how to protect them, and that we can learn more about orcas by studying them responsibly in the wild.

WDC’s End Captivity programme lead, Cathy Williamson said: ‘Orcas are not subjects to be kept in tanks for study or any other purpose. They belong in the wild.  Wild orcas live rich and varied lives, with complex communication between individuals and groups. Teaching them to copy human words only demonstrates how intelligent they are and how unsuited to confinement in captivity they are.”

The study does raise the question  – if she could, what would Wikie say if ask about being confined to a small tank for the rest of her life?

Read about how intelligent whales and dolphins are