Posts by Danny Groves
Cuts in government funds to hit Japanese whale hunt industry
Reports in Japan suggest the whaling industry there is facing increasing challenges just a few years after the country withdrew from the International Whaling Commission (IWC – the global body that regulates whaling) and resumed hunting whales for commercial profit. Previously, Japan had slaughtered whales under the guise of ‘research’, even though next to nothing…
Read MoreStill no evidence dolphins cure human health issues says review
A review of the data behind Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) – the use of dolphins to treat people with mental and physical health concerns, has concluded that there is still no concrete evidence proving that it works. Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) encourages people suffering from a range of medical problems to enter the water with dolphins…
Read MoreSouth Korea cracks down on whale and dolphin captivity
South Korea’s government has indicated that it will ban new facilities from displaying whales and dolphins. The move comes as growing numbers of the population become aware of animal rights issues. The government has also said it will be issuing new regulations concerning the 23 existing aquariums in South Korea after around 20 marine mammals…
Read MoreWDC joins group legal action to force protection for endangered North Atlantic right whales
Conservation groups in the US, including WDC have sued the National Marine Fisheries Service (the US federal agency responsible for the stewardship of national marine resources) for failing to respond to two rule making petitions to protect critically endangered right whales from being run over and killed by ships and boats in US waters. The…
Read MoreTrapped minke whale slaughtered in Japanese cove
A young minke whale trapped in nets off Taiji, Japan, since Christmas Eve, was killed early today by local fishermen. The whale’s carcass was then taken to shore to be butchered for sale in local meat markets. It was hoped that the local fishing cooperative would try to free the whale however, Ren Yabuki, director…
Read MoreNew blue whale population discovered
A previously unknown population of blue whales has been found living in the Indian Ocean after researchers picked up and recorded an unrecognised song travelling hundreds of miles through the sea. Blue whale vocalisations are very low and can reach other whales through the water up to 500 miles away, but each population has their…
Read MoreThe last river dolphin
A river dolphin held captive in Duisburg Zoo, Germany, has died leaving just one remaining river dolphin in the world in captivity. Baby (also known as Orinoco or Butu) was 47 when he died at the zoo this week. He led a sad life, captured at a very young age together with his mother and…
Read MoreLatest endangered species list confirms all freshwater dolphins face battle to avoid extinction
A dolphin found in the Amazon river, the tucuxi, has been classed as endangered on the latest Red List issued by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation for Nature) – the body that assesses the survival prospects of plants, animals and fungi. This latest classification for the tucuxi now means that all the world’s…
Read MoreBeluga Whale Sanctuary winter update
Whilst we are thrilled at the progress that beluga whales, Little White and Little Grey have made in adapting to a more natural environment in the ocean sanctuary in last few weeks, as the Icelandic winter storm season approaches the care team looking after Little White and Little Grey have decided to go ahead and…
Read MoreAre orcas behind a drop in great white shark numbers?
A drop in the numbers of great white sharks in the coastal waters around South Africa could be due attacks by orcas according to a new government report. The report suggests that the orcas are killing sharks and eating their livers, which has led to the disappearance of great whites from the waters of False…
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