Success! Court stops US government attempt to block whale protection lawsuit
A federal court in the US has dismissed attempts by Joe Biden’s administration to halt a lawsuit against the government filed by WDC and other groups, which seeks to create stronger rules to protect rare North Atlantic right whales from collisions with ships. Together with Defenders of Wildlife, Humane Society of the US, Center for Biological Diversity…
Read MoreSouthern right whales urgently need your help
WDC is excited to be supporting a new conservation project that needs urgent funding to help protect endangered southern right whales and their habitat. As they recover from near extinction from whaling, they need protection inside critical calving and nursery grounds, several of which are found around Australia’s coastline. Human development continues to increase along…
Read MoreSri Lanka oil spill brings fears for whales and dolphins
Spinner dolphins in Sri Lanka © Andrew Sutton Experts are increasingly concerned at the plight of a Singapore-registered cargo ship, the X-Press Pearl, laden with nitric acid and other chemicals, which had been ablaze for almost a fortnight. The fire is now out but the vessel is slowly sinking off Negombo, near the capital, Colombo,…
Read MoreCan space technology tell us how many whales there are?
One of the world’s leading professional services firms, Deloitte has joined with WDC in a bid to explore how space technology can tell us more about whales, and how to protect them. This exciting project is part of Deloitte’s Gravity Challenge, a global programme that encourages corporates, entrepreneurs and universities to use innovative space technology to…
Read MorePilot whales strand in New Zealand
Around 50 long-finned pilot whales stranded on Monday on New Zealand’s South Island at a location called Farewell Spit. The long stretch of coast has shallow sandy waters which have seen numerous strandings over the years. Volunteer rescuers from Project Jonah, experts in attending strandings, were able to return nearly 30 whales to the water…
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 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 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…
Read MoreBlue whale sightings increase off South Georgia
New research suggests that blue whales may finally be returning to South Georgia decades after the end of whaling. The waters around the island in the South Atlantic were the location for some of the most devastating impacts of commercial whaling. Over 40,000 blue whales were killed during the first part of the 20th century…
Read MoreMass 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 380 whales are thought to have died in the waters around Macquarie Harbour near Strahan on the island’s…
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