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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...

Nearly 500 whales die in New Zealand

A stranded pilot whale

The number of pilot whales that have died following a mass stranding in New Zealand has reached nearly 500.

Officials are putting the current number of deaths at 477, which occurred on two remote beaches on the Chatham Islands, around 500 miles east of New Zealand's main islands. The remote location hindered attempts to refloat some of the whales, as did the potential presence of sharks in the surrounding waters.

These deaths were in addition to the 200 pilot whales that became stranded and died a couple of weeks ago on a remote Australian beach.

New Zealand has one of the highest number of stranding incidents with pilot whales often involved. Pilot whales can strand in large numbers as they live in very tight social groups and, when a lead individual has made a navigational mistake or one of the group is sick or wounded, the rest of their pod frequently follow that individual towards the shoreline and into trouble. It is thought that the long sloping beaches in some regions cause navigational errors.

WDC helps with strandings around the world and works on projects seeking to understand why whales and dolphins strand. Can you donate today to help this important work?

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