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Southern Resident whales

Ambitious plan to free captive orca Lolita announced

The new owner of the Miami Seaquarium in the US has announced that it is...

Trade sanctions announced after Mexico fails to protect near extinct porpoise

The international body behind the treaty that protects endangered plants and animals from the threats...

WDC exposes failure of Government scheme to protect whales and dolphins from net deaths

Following our investigations, we have revealed that a UK Government scheme to protect whales and...

First cases of bird flu in dolphins discovered in the UK

The UK Government has announced that two dolphins and a harbour porpoise have died from...

Petition calls for greater protection for Port River dolphins

WDC, together with local press and community organisations, are calling for greater protection for the unique population of indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins that live in the Port River in Adelaide.

The dolphins are one of only a few populations that live in an urban environment and with that brings an increased threat from human activities. In 2005, the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary was created to protect around 45 square miles (118sq km) of the dolphin’s key habitat. WDC’s team in Australia, led by Dr Mike Bossley, have been studying these dolphins and leading the conservation efforts for many years.

While the Sanctuary has been of benefit for the dolphins, a major issue remains concerning the speed of leisure craft using the waters, including jetskis. A report from the South Australian Museum revealed that half of all dolphin fatalities in the past 13 years had involved speeding vessels.

Dolphin calves are particularly vulnerable. In 2018, only three out of the seven calves born have survived and at least one, Holly (above), is known to have been killed after being hit by a boat in January.

We are now calling for the Government of South Australia to impose a speed limit of 10 knots throughout the sanctuary in an attempt to stop these tragedies.

Please add your voice to our petition below to protect these amazing creatures.

About George Berry

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