Posts Tagged ‘Beluga’
Rare beluga skull found on Scottish beach
A rare find that washed up on a Scottish beach on 5th May was formally identified at the National Museum of Scotland this week. A beluga skull was found at Lunan Bay in Angus, south of Montrose on the east coast. Determining a cause of death from the skull alone is unlikely. This was a…
Read MoreUS Protection Sought for Depleted Beluga Whale Stock
In response to the ongoing threats to beluga populations in Russia, WDC, along with the Animal Welfare Institute, Cetacean Society International, and Earth Island Institute has filed a petition with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to designate the Sakhalin Bay-Amur River stock of beluga whales in the Sea of Okhotsk as depleted under the…
Read MoreCourt gives WDC go-ahead to support legal case to stop import of beluga whales
Press Release: WDC Will Defend Federal Denial of Permit to Import 18 Wild-Caught Beluga Whales from Russia Atlanta, Georgia—A federal district court in Georgia last Friday granted a request to intervene filed by the Animal Welfare Institute, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Cetacean Society International, and Earth Island Institute in a lawsuit challenging the National Marine Fisheries…
Read MoreVancouver Aquarium’s confusing messages on captivity continue
Despite a $100 million expansion programme that will add new additional swimming space, Vancouver Aquarium’s president, John Nightingale has failed to clarify whether or not the new space will be used to house more beluga whales. Speaking to news reporters Nightingale said that new facilities are “several years” away from completion and that there were…
Read MoreBrain disease cat parasite found in beluga whales
A parasite, previously found in cats, that can cause brain disease in humans has now been found in Arctic beluga whales. Pregnant women are often warned to avoid changing kitty litter in order to stay clear of the parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. which can cause miscarriage and also blindness. The find by scientists now raises health…
Read MoreDancing beluga show hides reality of capture and captivity
Yesterday’s Mail Online featured a series of, unfortunately, fairly stunning underwater photos from an aquarium in China of a beluga whale show involving circus style acrobatics between captive belugas and animal trainers. Such images published in such a widely read national newspaper only serve to encourage visitation to facilities around the world holding captive whales and…
Read MoreA Hard Rock Massage
We learned last week that beluga whales are the true white whales, except when they’re babies, but they also aren’t always white as adults! In spring and summer, when belugas start gathering in estuaries and shallow-water areas, they actually have a yellowish tint to their skin. Belugas undergo a seasonal molt, meaning that one layer of…
Read MoreMaking Faces for Food
“If you keep making that face it’ll freeze that way!” Do you think beluga moms use that line on their kids? Probably not, because the moms are making faces, too! Belugas have very malleable mouths with a cleft upper lip. These traits are unusual among whales and dolphins, but give belugas their uniquely wide range…
Read MoreGeorgia Aquarium is ignoring us!
WDC believes that the Georgia Aquarium is actively blocking messages sent by members of the public questioning the Aquarium’s continued attempts to import wild-caught belugas from Russia for its shows. As part of its ongoing campaign, WDC asked the public to send messages to the Georgia Aquarium requesting that the Aquarium protect belugas in the wild…
Read MoreBeluga Action Alert! It's Better to be Free!
Belugas in the wild are a truly cosmopolitan species – they inhabit a wide variety of areas in the Arctic, from the deep ocean to coastal waters and estuaries. They often visit shallow river mouths and are known to swim up rivers in search of food, and have also been found diving in deep submarine…
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