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New government marine wildlife code to help reduce dolphin disturbance

The launch today by UK Government of new guidance on how to act responsibly around...

UK government to extend ivory ban to stop the sale of orca teeth

Following the UK ban on the import, export and dealing of elephant ivory in 2022,...

Dead whale beauty products to be sold in Japanese vending machine stores

Antarctic minke whale alongside Japanese whaling ship. Photo © Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert Japanese whale hunting company,...

Arrests made following illegal whale meat smuggling from Japan to South Korea

Customs authorities in Busan, South Korea, have arrested six people for allegedly smuggling at least...

WDC joins call for SeaWorld to release full details of Tilikum's death

WDC has signed on to an open letter calling for SeaWorld to follow their legal obligations under the US National Marine Fisheries Service to release Tilikum’s full necropsy (animal autopsy). This also applies to his offspring and grand-offspring, including Kyara, the last orca calf to be born at SeaWorld, who died in July.

This information would be a valuable resource for scientists working to conserve wild orca populations, as it would provide detail on the type of bacteria and pathogens that can affect orcas, and what they might be most susceptible to, even though stress and prevalence of certain pathogens in captivity is certainly different than what wild orcas may be exposed to.  For example, a recent study on the critically endangered Southern Resident orca population showed surprising pathogens present in their exhalations, including suspected antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and, according to SeaWorld, Tilikum died from an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacterial pneumonia

Find out more about orcas in captivity

About George Berry

George is a member of WDC's Communications team and website coordinator.