Posts from the ‘Dolphins & Whales’ category

Hugs and Goodbyes

See you in Alaska! Visiting the Orcas Tuesday: Grandma J2’s Birthday Wednesday: Off to the Island First Sighting Thursday: T is for Transient Luna the Orca Who Wanted to Be…

The Whale Who Took Down SeaWorld

How SeaWorld Is Like Scientology

Navy Dolphins Scout for Mines in Croatia

Orca Dinner Party

Big Step Forward for Rights of Dolphins and Whales

At the world’s largest science conference, scientists and ethicists presented the case for recognizing dolphins and whales as non-human persons.

More Unexplained Dolphin Strandings

The total, so far, of 177 dolphins (125 of whom have died) is nearly five times what’s normal, and there’s no explanation.

How 9/11 Was a Relief for Whales

For the rest of the day on September 11, 2001 after the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, whales in the North Atlantic must have been heaving a huge sigh of relief. They could hear properly again.

Dolphins Surf with Boy

Keith Overton was recording video of his son, Mitchell, wake surfing behind their boat near St. Pete Beach, Florida yesterday. A couple of dolphins decided to join in on the fun.

PETA and SeaWorld Square Off at Court Hearing

Yesterday, a Federal Court in San Diego held a hearing on a Motion to Dismiss filed by SeaWorld in a case where PETA claimed that SeaWorld was enslaving orcas in violation of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Many Dolphins Safe after Stranding

It’s been grueling work both for the dolphins and the volunteers who have been rescuing them day and night, but it’s been worth it. Those who survived the recent mass strandings on Cape Cod shores and have been rescued are now swimming about 18 miles off the coast of Maine

Whale and Dolphin Games

The thing that took my attention the most was that if these scientists saw this twice, and around different islands, how many other times is it likely to be going on? Quite probably hundreds of times. And what does that tell us?

Dogs With a Nose for Poop

Scientists trying to determine why killer whales are dying off are getting help from dogs; specifically, their keen sense of smell. In Washington State’s Puget Sound, scientists are examining the feces of killer whales to determine if factors such as pollution, boat traffic, and eating habits are to blame for the mammals’ declining population.

Killer Whales in Ocean Show

It’s the real thing – and much better than anything you can see at a marine circus like SeaWorld. These orcas were among dozens seen along the Southern California coast over the last week as they migrate south to Mexico.

Dolphins at War – 40 Years Ago

After seeing our report on the U.S. Navy once again deploying its dolphin conscripts to the Persian Gulf, a reader wrote in to remind us about a 60 Minutes story from back in 1973, when Morley Safer interviewed various dolphin trainers and military personnel.

Whale and Dolphin Playing Together?

Many species interact in the wild, most often as predator and prey. But recent encounters between humpback whales and bottlenose dolphins reveal a playful side to interspecies interaction.

Killing Whales and Giraffes to Save Them

Last week, the British Daily Mail reported that people are paying tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of taking a family expedition to Africa to kill giraffes.

Cape Cod Dolphins Rescued!

Three hundred dolphins in Wellfleet harbor on Cape Cod were successfully guided out to safety in the ocean by volunteers with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Peter Singer on the Dolphin Conscripts

Animal rights philosopher Peter Singer weighs in on the question of whether the U.S. military has any right to use dolphins as minesweepers in the Persian Gulf.

Dolphins Deployed to Persian Gulf

In 2010, the Seattle Times reported that the Navy has 80 bottlenose dolphins in the San Diego Bay alone. They are taught to hunt for mines and drop acoustic transponders nearby.

Orcas Frolick in the Ocean near Seattle

A family of orcas in Puget Sound off the coast of Seattle yesterday.

Happy New Year, Baby Orca J-48

Keep baby J-48 in your thoughts this Holiday weekend. She’s the third calf to be born to the extended family of orcas (killer whales) known as the J pod. The calf, the third to be born this year among the three pods, was first observed last weekend by NOAA researchers.

Looking Up for Elephants and Orcas

There’s a lot of long, hard work to be done on behalf of these animals and others. But never before have there been so many lawsuits and government actions being leveled against the captivity industry.