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Another dolphin found shot in the Gulf of Mexico

Another dolphin found shot in the Gulf of Mexico

WDC has reported on the growing number of incidents of dolphin vandalism in the Gulf of Mexico over the past several years, and has even offered rewards to encourage the public to help identify the perpetrators of these crimes.  We have shared our concern about an apparent and emerging regional trend involving the directed violence…

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US authorities investigate dolphin shooting

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) office of Law Enforcement in the US is investigating another case involving the illegal shooting of a dolphin. The body of the dolphin was discovered off Okaloosa Island in Florida by the Marine Mammal Stranding Team of the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge.  A NOAA press release announced that during…

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WDC reward provided in successful prosecution of dolphin crime

The US Department of Justice recently announced the successful prosecution of two perpetrators of a dolphin crime involving the shooting of bottlenose dolphins with a hunting bow. The incident involved brothers who shot at two dolphins who had stranded near Orangefield, Texas with a compound bow in July 2014. One dolphin was fatally wounded, and…

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Perpetrator of dolphin crime found

In what might have been a positive turn of events in solving the most recent and shocking dolphin crime in Florida’s Gulf region has turned bittersweet in the midst of news confirming that the perpetrator of this intentional act was underage. The youth admitted to the crime through a written confession, and the weapon was…

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Arrest made after dolphin is killed by an arrow

According to reports from law enforcement agencies in the US, a young person has admitted to shooting a bottlenose dolphin with a hunting arrow in the waters around Florida. A written confession has been taken and a bow seized. The dolphin was found dead more than a week after being shot in Orange Beach and…

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Dolphin crimes on the rise: Pregnant dolphin shot dead near Florida coast

Reports of dead dolphins washing ashore with gunshot wounds in the Gulf region have been scattered throughout the media since 2012, suggesting that a more recent and disturbing trend of targeted vandalism might be surfacing. Compounding the concerns surrounding these earlier reports was the fear that these carcasses, washing ashore in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida…

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Hotbed of Harassment: Dolphins under Assault in Panama City, Florida

A Panama City, Florida dolphin tour operator was recently fined for harassment under the US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). On July 8, 2014, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrative Law Judge upheld a fine issued by NOAA’s Office of General Counsel that assessed a civil penalty of $4,500 on Blue Dolphin Tours and its boat captain for their…

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Dolphin Vandal Convicted

Reports of dead dolphins washing ashore with gun-shot wounds in the Gulf region were scattered throughout the media in 2012, suggesting that a more recent and disturbing trend of targeted vandalism might be surfacing. Compounding these concerns was the fear that these carcasses, washing ashore in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, might just represent only a…

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Police launch investigation into dolphin harassment

Devon and Cornwall Police in the UK are looking into an incident where up to 25 small vessels reportedly harassed a pod of bottlenose dolphins in Camel Estuary on Saturday, 20th July. It is believed one of the dolphins may have been hit by a boat and killed as a result. Harassing dolphins in this…

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