Posts by George Berry
Mass stranding of pilot whales in Tasmania
Over 450 pilot whales have stranded in various locations along a stretch of coastline in a remote part of Tasmania. Originally it was thought around 270 whales were involved but another group has now been discovered. Around 300 whales are thought to have died in the waters around Macquarie Harbour near Strahan on the island’s…
Read MoreHumpback whales swim up river in Kakadu National Park
Wildlife experts in Australia’s Northern Territory are monitoring a humpback whale that has travelled 18 miles (30km) up the East Alligator river. It is the first time a whale has been recorded swimming so far up a river in Australia. Two other whales that were originally seen in the river have returned to the ocean.…
Read MoreQuieter waters allow dolphins in Hong Kong to return
Scientists studying endangered Chinese white dolphins (Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins) in Hong Kong have noticed an increase is sightings after a drop in boat traffic. Since the Covid pandemic began there has been a dramatic decline in the number of boats frequenting the waters where the dolphins are found, in particular the fast ferries serving the…
Read MoreMystery surrounds orca harassment of boats
Scientists are trying to work out why a pod of orcas have been damaging passing boats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal in recent weeks. Several boats have been targeted as they sailed through the region with the whales appearing to deliberately ram the boats’ hulls. Some have lost their rudders and steering as…
Read MoreTahlequah the orca has a new calf
Tahlequah (J35) with her calf J57. Photo by Katie Jones, Center for Whale Research / Permit #21238 Tahlequah (J35), an orca from the Southern Resident population, has given birth to a new calf (J57). They were seen swimming together at the end of last week by scientists from the Center for Whale Research. In 2018…
Read MoreWDC scientists join call for global action to protect whales and dolphins from extinction
Scientists from Whale and Dolphin Conservation, along with over 250 other experts from 40 countries, have signed on to an open letter calling for action to urgently address the precarious situation of many populations of whales, dolphins and porpoises, (collectively ‘cetaceans’) many of which face extinction threats due to harmful human activity such as incidental…
Read MoreRussia to give orcas greater protection
According to reports, Viktoria Abramchenko, the Deputy Prime Minister in Russia responsible for environmental affairs, has announced that transient orcas are going to be added to the country’s Red Data Book of endangered species. In recent years, Russia has allowed a number of orcas to be captured for sale to the captivity industry. The whales…
Read MoreOne year on – Japan’s return to whaling hurts us all
Japanese whalers have slaughtered 223 whales in the 12 months since the Japanese government announced that it would resume industrial whaling, a decision which marine charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation believes will contribute to the climate emergency. Japan’s withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission (the body that regulates whale hunting) at Christmas in 2018, was criticised…
Read MoreJapan’s government agrees to more funding for whale hunts
Japan’s Diet (parliament) has passed a law to help support commercial whaling through increased funding despite the falling demand for meat in the country. The government has said that it will promote the consumption of whale meat in schools as well as financially help the country’s whaling industry in securing hunting ships and crew. This…
Read MoreNew research shows bottlenose dolphins turn to the right
New research has revealed that dolphins have a dominant right-hand side. They are joining a group of other mammals that show this preference, including humpback and gray whales, humans and gorillas. The research shows that bottlenose dolphins appear to have an even stronger right-side bias than humans, discovered through crater feeding observations. Crater feeding is…
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