Posts by Danny Groves
Rugby World Cup fans warned of whale meat risk
WDC has launched an awareness campaign today calling on people visiting Japan for the Rugby World Cup this autumn to be like most Japanese people and steer clear of whale meat. Rugby fans are being warned of the potential risk of finding whale meat in Japanese foods, even in familiar sounding dishes such as curry,…
Read MoreSeaWorld parts company with another CEO
Troubled marine park operator, SeaWorld has parted company with yet another CEO. Gus Antorcha, who had been with SeaWorld for less than seven months has resigned following internal disagreements over decision making. Antorcha replaced Joel Manby, who was named CEO in 2015, who also stepped down last year. SeaWorld has faced a public backlash following the release…
Read MoreAntibiotic resistance in dolphins mirrors trend seen in humans
Samples collected from dolphins by scientists over a 12 year period indicate that dolphins may be mirroring the trend in human resistance to antibiotic drugs. Researchers looked at the samples from bottlenose dolphins living in the Indian River Lagoon in Florida between 2003 and 2015 and found that nearly 90% of the 733 samples taken…
Read MoreCanada to move two captive belugas to theme park in Spain
Two captive beluga whales are to be moved from the Marineland theme park in Canada to a Spanish facility, despite the Canadian government recently banning live imports and exports of these marine mammals, and the capture of wild whales, dolphins and porpoises for aquaria. The Canadian Fisheries Minister approved the permits for the move under exceptions…
Read MoreUK firm announces potential drastic plastic action against staff
UK A company has announced plans to help ease the problem of plastic pollution by changing staff contracts to try to stop single-use plastic being brought into the workplace. Anyone ignoring the new rules would receive warnings and could then face the sack. The company, Intelligent Hand Dryers (IHD), introduced an office ban on all…
Read MoreCruel Taiji dolphin drive hunt season underway
Fishermen in the coastal town of Taiji, Japan have begun their controversial annual dolphin hunt. These drive hunts run from September to April, and involve the corralling of dolphins at sea by small boats and driving them into the confines of a cove where they are slaughtered for meat or kept alive for lucrative sale…
Read MoreWDC in talks with New Zealand‘s Minister for Conservation over dolphin protection
WDC team meets NZ Minister for Conservation Representatives from Whale and Dolphin Conservation have met with New Zealand’s Minister for Conservation, Eugenie Sage to discuss much-needed protection for Māui and Hector’s dolphins. The meeting was secured as part of WDC’s campaign to save these dolphins (collectively known as New Zealand dolphins) and took place as the…
Read MoreSuccess! We campaigned to stop British Airways selling tickets to SeaWorld – and now they have!
More fantastic news for our End Captivity campaign has emerged with the announcement from British Airways that they will no longer be selling SeaWorld trips to customers – something we have repeatedly asked them to stop doing. WDC met with BA representatives to present scientific evidence that these creatures are not suited to life in…
Read MoreFirst Bryde’s whale auction held after Japan resumes commercial hunts
An auction of Bryde’s whale meat has taken place in Japan, the first since the Japanese government decided to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (the body that regulates whale hunting) several months ago, and ignore the current international ban on commercial hunts. Around 70 Bryde’s whales have been caught in the sea south of Aichi…
Read MoreMicroplastics found in brains of crabs is cause for alarm
Researchers at the University of Brighton have carried out the world’s first study into microplastics in the brains of a crustacean species, which could have wider implications for other marine creatures like whales and dolphins. After feeding polystyrene fluorescent microplastic spheres to mussels, the researchers then fed these mussels to velvet swimming crabs. The stomach,…
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