Biggest Dolphin Stampede Ever?
Superpod of dolphins by whale-watcher Antonio Ramirez This “superpod” of dolphins had thousands of common dolphins spread out over an area 7 miles long by 5…
A Tale of Two Tanks
Candace Calloway Whiting compares how we treat pets like hamsters in our homes to how we treat orcas in captivity at marine circuses like SeaWorld.
Sea Shepherd Rammed by Japanese Whalers
Early today, deep in Antarctic waters, a huge Japanese whaling ship rammed two Sea Shepherd boats that were attempting to block its access to a refueling…
The Nature of Dolphins
In this video, we see a group of dolphins helping a confused seal pup find her way through the strong currents buffeting her around a rocky shore and back out to the ocean.
Last week, we saw a tangled dolphin ask human divers to free her, as well as whales adopting an orphan dolphin, and dolphins nursing a sick family member. How many more such things happen on any given day? Hundreds? Thousands?
And what does this tell us about the nature of dolphins?
Cetacean Summation
The week in dolphins and whales: Dolphins try to save one of their own … Sperm whales support one who is not their own … Dolphin…
Dolphin Asks Human Divers for Help
You’ve probably seen or heard about the dolphin who approached some divers off the coast of Kona, Hawaii, all tangled up in a fishing line and…
‘Blackfish’ Orca Movie Is Talk of Sundance
Is the new movie “Blackfish” – a powerful damning indictment of SeaWorld, screened at the Sundance Film Festival last weekend – this year’s answer to the 2009 Oscar-winning “The Cove”?
The critics are giving it rave reviews, calling it “a damning indictment of SeaWorld” and even suggesting that “it stands a good chance of putting the “$2-billion theme park out of business.”
Dolphins Painting in Vegas
It’s hard to decide who is more contemptible: the people paying to have a captive dolphin paint a picture for them at the Mirage Hotel, or…
Dolphin Stampede Races Whale-Watching Boat
Who could possibly imagine, after watching this, that dolphins belong in a tank at a marine zoo. The video was taken off the coast of Dana…
Shamu Goes on Strike
In this video, taken two months ago at SeaWorld San Antonio, Shamu, the generic name for orcas at SeaWorld shows, decides not to perform one evening…
Letter to a Young Dolphin Lover
Last week, we wrote about the latest “accident” at SeaWorld, where a dolphin bit 8-year-old Jillian at the petting/feeding pool. Jillian really cares about dolphins and…
More Dolphins Bite Tourists
The tourists in the dolphin pool were told to stand in a line and splash the two dolphins, who would splash back. But one of the dolphins became aggressive and bit Sabina on her leg. Two others were attacked, too, and one of them ended up in hospital.
The Star that Outshines The Sun
When you’ve had so much bad publicity that people are saying you may not even be able to open your doors to the public again, you’ll…
Surprise: Hungry Dolphins Bite Children
The latest “accident” at SeaWorld has a dolphin biting an 8-year-old girl on the arm. Young Jillian Thomas’s dream was to be a dolphin trainer, so…
Humpback Whale Freed from Fishing Gear
The whale had probably been dragging this fishing gear around for months. Now he was weakened to the point where he could barely move or lift his tail. Thick rope was wrapped around his body – so tightly that it was clear that he had become entangled when he was younger and smaller, and, over the months, had grown deeply into the ever-tighter synthetic material.
Who’s Killing the Dolphins?
At least six dolphins have been brutally murdered along the Gulf Coast in recent months – shot, stabbed, body parts hacked off. Local authorities are encouraging…
Dolphin Welfare vs. Dolphin Rights
Is it OK to keep dolphins (including belugas and killer whales) in captivity as long as you follow certain approved standards of care from the zoo or research industries? Or do dolphins have the inherent right not to be held captive by humans in the first place?
It’s a question that hovered in the background of last weekend’s conference of the American Cetacean Society in San Diego. And at one session, it exploded to the surface.
Marineland Gets a Pass from Zoo Group
In the wake of shocking revelations about the care of the animals at Marineland, Niagara Falls, the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) has given…
Marineland’s Intimidation Tactics
It’s a tactic that’s typical of corporations whose employees start blowing the whistle: Threaten a giant lawsuit. Marineland, the Canadian zoo that’s been the subject of…
Noc, Noc, Who’s There?
There’s lots of talk this week about a “talking” beluga whale who died five years ago at a U.S. Navy facility. And it’s all grist to…