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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...
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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...

Minke whale hunts stop in Iceland

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

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...

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...

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...

Belugas take little steps to new life in sanctuary home

Our project with the SEA LIFE Trust to move two beluga whales, Little White and Little Grey,  from captivity in China to the world’s first whale sanctuary in Iceland has taken some significant  steps forward. We’re calling this phase ‘Little Steps’, because that’s what we and the whales are taking.

The whales made good progress in their care pools in the bay and in September were released to explore the wider sanctuary. Their first swims out were part of a carefully managed programme to introduce them into their much larger ocean home and they adapted well to their new surroundings.

LG and LW in bay week 1 the SLT Beluga Whale Sanctuary

If you are able to make a donation, it would mean the world.

Ideally this phase would have happened in the spring, giving the whales and their care team several months of acclimatisation to life in the bay before the Icelandic winter hit. But what none us could have predicted was the impact of a global pandemic.

After Little White and Little Grey’s successful first Little Steps into the wider bay, the expert team decided that, for the moment, it is safest for the whales if they are looked after in their custom-built landside care pool.

They were moved in a short 45-minute operation in early December and will stay until the milder spring weather allows us to return them to the bay to begin their new life there, giving them plenty of time to get ready for the next winter. Little White and Little Grey’s welfare will always be our priority and the decisions around their care made by the expert team are informed by the advice of independent veterinarians.

Little White and Little Grey’s first year in the sanctuary was always planned to look different to ongoing years. Of course it is disappointing they can’t stay in the bay all winter this year, but remember, they have the rest of their lives to enjoy the sanctuary and we have to get this right  not only for these two awesome individuals, but also for all the other whales who may come here in the future.

Please make a donation

to help WDC and the SEA LIFE Trust cover the costs of caring for Little White and Little Grey

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