Creating homes for whales and dolphins
What's the problem?
The seas around Scotland are home to more than 24 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises. Some live here all year round, others pass through or come here at certain times of the year to feed, breed and raise their young.
These waters are also busy places for human activity. We explore and drill for oil and gas, we fish, we test our military sonar equipment, we produce renewable energy and we enjoy ourselves on boats and jet skis.
All of these activities, both individually and collectively, pose a massive threat to whales and dolphins. But there's no reason why humans and whales and dolphins cannot coexist in Scottish seas, we just need careful and respectful management.
WDC have been working for more than a decade to persuade the Scottish government to protect certain areas that are particularly important for groups of whales, dolphins and porpoises - the places where they feed and raise their families.
What have we done together?
- You may have been involved with our long-running public campaign. We've been raising awareness of the issues and the need for protected areas.
- Perhaps you also got involved with lobbying Scottish government through our petitions, letter-writing and postcard campaigns.
- Since 2010, we've been carrying out research to learn more about the whales, dolphins and porpoises who live around the Isle of Lewis, off Scotland's west coast. This data informed the government and played a vital part in their decision to create a protected area here.
The Story so far
We've targeted some of the biggest players in the travel industry and are making progress.
We asked Richard Branson to stop Virgin Holidays selling trips to SeaWorld and our campaign went viral. Sir Richard listened and days later instructed Virgin Holidays to stop sending customers to theme parks that take whales and dolphins from the wild.
We asked Richard Branson to stop Virgin Holidays selling trips to SeaWorld and our campaign went viral. Sir Richard listened and days later instructed Virgin Holidays to stop sending customers to theme parks that take whales and dolphins from the wild.
We asked Richard Branson to stop Virgin Holidays selling trips to SeaWorld and our campaign went viral. Sir Richard listened and days later instructed Virgin Holidays to stop sending customers to theme parks that take whales and dolphins from the wild.
We asked Richard Branson to stop Virgin Holidays selling trips to SeaWorld and our campaign went viral. Sir Richard listened and days later instructed Virgin Holidays to stop sending customers to theme parks that take whales and dolphins from the wild.
Join our latest campaign
Tell Carnival to stop exploiting dolphins
Dolphins should not be held captive to be kissed by tourists every day. Dolphins should be free to live with their families making their own choices about how they spend their days.
Carnival is the largest cruise operator in the world. It owns big names like P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Cunard and others. We have been raising this issue with Carnival and its subsidiaries for years now. We’ve provided them with information about how swim-with-dolphins facilities are bad for the dolphins held captive and forced to interact with tourists, as well as for the environment and the wild dolphin populations left behind.
We’ve given them the evidence and yet they still promote these cruel dolphin 'shore-excursions'. It’s time they stopped fobbing us off. It’s time for you to tell them that you won’t tolerate this cruelty.
If Carnival takes a stand, others may follow. So let's ask Carnival to show us they're the leader they claim to be. It's time to stop profiting from dolphin exploitation.
Ending the demand: we've achieved a lot together
Virgin Holidays agreed to stop selling holidays to marine parks that take whales or dolphin from the wild.
Thomas Cook has dropped parks that don’t meet minimum welfare standards.
Trip Advisor will no longer sell tickets to facilities offering contact with captive, wild or endangered creatures.
