Posts Tagged ‘captivity’
Scientists offer help to Putin to help free captured whales
A group of scientists representing a range of international organisations, including WDC, have written to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin expressing concerns about the welfare of 87 belugas and 10 orcas currently held in a facility in Srednyaya Bay in Nakhodka, Russia. All were captured last year for sale to Chinese theme parks and dolphinaria,…
Read MoreA WDC supporter’s impression of Vancouver Aquarium
David Yeadon is a WDC supporter who visited Vancouver Aquarium two years ago, when he was 16. What he saw shocked and upset him so much that he asked us if he could tell his story. The views and opinions expressed by our guest bloggers are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent…
Read MorePreparations for beluga whale move to Iceland continue
Ahead of the relocation of Little White and Little Grey to the world’s first open water sanctuary for beluga whales this April, yesterday we gave international media the opportunity to discover how this epic 6,000 mile journey will be delivered to plan and also speak to some of the expert team involved in making this…
Read MoreMultiple belugas moved in US marine parks
Over the last month, there has been a flurry of movement between marine parks in the U.S. as several captive-held belugas have been shifted among facilities. This appears to be an attempt to mix up males and females and advance captive breeding efforts, after a 2015 court decision denied the Georgia Aquarium and other parks permission to import 18…
Read MoreHow we are working with communities to build a whale sanctuary
The beluga whale sanctuary is all about belugas, right? Yes of course it is, but wherever we work to protect whales and dolphins, human beings are involved too. It’s no different in Vestmannaeyjar, where we have partnered with the SEA LIFE Trust to build the world’s first beluga sanctuary on the island of Heimaey (Home Island), seven kilometres off the south coast of the Icelandic…
Read MoreControversial captive dolphin facility to close following another dolphin death
A dolphinaria in Arizona, US has announced that it will close for the immediate future following the death of a fourth dolphin that it held captive. The latest bottlenose dolphin to die was 22 year old Kai, who had not been eating, swimming or breathing normally in recent days according to an official statement. The…
Read MoreAnother dolphin dies at Dolphinaris Arizona
Another dolphin has died at Dolphinaris Arizona, the fourth death in less than two years at the controversial marine park. Just one month after the loss of Khloe, a young female bottlenose dolphin, the park announced the death of Kai, a 22-year-old male. According to Dolphinaris, Kai started showing signs of illness two weeks ago,…
Read MoreOrcas and belugas held in appalling ‘whale jail’
You may have read the stories about the so-called ‘whale jail’ in Russia. If you have, you’ll have seen the sickening images of belugas and orcas crammed into tiny pens, having been taken from their families to supply the growing captivity industry in China and other countries. In December, we welcomed news that Russian authorities…
Read MoreOrcas held in Russian whale jail face threat from ice
The 11 orcas captured last year for sale to China and currently held along with 87 beluga whales in small sea pens described as a ‘whale jail’ near Vladivostok, may start dying after many have reportedly developed frostbite. As temperatures begin to drop at the site, ice is starting to form on the surface of…
Read MoreAnother orca death at SeaWorld
SeaWorld announced on Monday that Kayla, an orca held at its marine park in Orlando, Florida, has died. Kayla was 30 years old, having spent her entire life in captivity since her birth in 1988 at SeaWorld’s San Antonio park. Kayla’s father was an orca captured from British Columbia in Canada while her mother was…
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