Save the whales, save the world – convincing governments that whales will help us fight the climate crisis
Whales and dolphins are awesome. They are intelligent, self-aware, socially complex and they need and deserve our protection. But, did you know they are also our allies in fighting the climate crisis? As we begin a new year with hope and optimism, we’re thinking big like a whale and setting our ambitions high. Help save…
Read MoreAmazing, beautiful Commerson’s dolphins and what we’re doing to protect them
Have you heard of Commerson’s dolphins? These little-known dolphins are beautiful, full of character and in trouble. We’ve been studying and working to protect them for 25 years now and to celebrate I thought I’d share the lives of these remarkable dolphins with you, including the story of a wonderful dolphin mother named Frank. WDC…
Read MoreNew babies bring hope for orcas on the edge of extinction
A silver lining of this strange year was the news that Tahlequah, the orca who touched hearts worldwide two years ago as she mourned the loss of her newborn calf, was pregnant again. Now we are celebrating two new babies in the population… If you are able to make a donation, it will help us…
Read MoreTragic tale of the UK orcas facing extinction
If you watched David Attenborough’s Extinction: The Facts, you’ll have heard the tragic account of the group of orcas known as the West Coast Community. They face almost certain extinction because of human chemical pollution. These orcas spend their time between Scotland, Wales and Ireland and until 2016 it was believed that there were nine…
Read MoreWe’ve won protection for Māui and Hector’s dolphins, but is it enough?
After decades of our campaigning, the New Zealand government has finally released the Threat Management Plan (TMP) for the Māui and Hector’s dolphins who live only around this country’s shores. It’s more protection than these dolphins have ever had before and we are grateful to the New Zealand government for pushing hard for these changes,…
Read MoreHow has the world changed for whale and dolphin protection?
A veteran conservationist looks back… I’m Dr Mike Bossley and I’ve been engaged in research, conservation and education for the past 50 years. I’ve worked with and for WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation for about 25 of those years, having headed-up Greenpeace Australia in the late 1970s and early 80s. Although technically semi-retired, here I…
Read MoreWhales, dolphins, porpoises and healthy seas under lockdown
Anyone watching blue, humpback or sperm whales can clearly see and hear the power-packed spout that comes just before they suck in a deep breath. Are whales and dolphins noticing that the air is cleaner these days since the coronavirus lockdown began? Do they sense there is less ship traffic as economies almost everywhere have…
Read MoreCoronavirus and New Zealand dolphins: many questions, few answers
Like people over the world, New Zealanders have recently been faced with a lot of time at home. Fortunately, humans are remarkably resourceful and we have come up with a variety of ways to amuse, distract and entertain ourselves during these difficult times. As well as being strange and difficult, these are also very sad…
Read MoreHow we’re helping to keep orcas safe from capture in Russia
In 1999, we helped open up whale research in Russia, building a photo-ID catalogue of orcas as well as a Russian team to study them. We called this the Far East Russia Orca Project, or FEROP, and it’s still going strong today. FEROP has trained a generation of young students in photo-ID, acoustic recording and…
Read MoreHow we’re protecting whales and dolphins across borders
It’s all very well individual nations putting their own conservation plans into action, but what about species, like whales, dolphins and porpoises, that don’t just stay in one country – how do we protect them? Last week I told you that I was at a meeting of the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (or…
Read More