English Channel dolphins carry 'toxic cocktail' of chemicals, some banned for decades
Bottlenose dolphins in the English Channel harbor a "toxic cocktail" of chemicals, some of which have been banned for decades and which may be harming the rare marine mammals' health, scientists said Thursday. Belgian and French scientists said they've detected high accumulations of industrial fluids ...
Fleet of boats return empty on first day of Taiji's dolphin hunting season
The hunting season for dolphins using a controversial "drive-hunting" method began Sunday in the whaling town of Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture, this time without the usual protests from animal-rights groups. While local police officers were on high alert for anti-whaling campaigns, 12 boats left the ...
Environmental campaigners have filed an unprecedented lawsuit in a bid to halt the so-called drive hunting of dolphins in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, arguing that the practice is cruel and illegal. In drive hunting, fishermen force dolphins into a cove by beating on boats to disorient ...
The lethal consequences of misclassifying dolphins
Japan's animal welfare regulations could halt the Taiji slaughter if Japanese law categorized dolphins as mammals instead of fish.
The U.S. government Friday took a big step toward opening oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean by approving seismic airgun tests that experts warn are harmful to dolphins and whales. Last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to expand offshore drilling, ...
Japanese aquariums are beginning to consider breeding bottlenose dolphins through artificial insemination as a way to maintain their numbers and avoid continued international criticism of displaying dolphins caught in the wild. A small male dolphin swimming with its mother has become a major attraction at ...
Proliferation of marine parks in China fueling shadowy trade in cetaceans
Eight beluga whales jump in unison out of a bright blue indoor pool, flipping their tail fins and spewing water as a packed audience cheers and snaps photographs. Whale shows like the one at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, located in Zhuhai on China's southern coast, are ...
Activists alarmed over bottlenose dolphin, penguins abandoned at closed Japanese aquarium
The plight of a lonely bottlenose dolphin and dozens of penguins that have been abandoned in a derelict aquarium since the start of the year sparked protests this week, with activists and ordinary people alike calling for the animals to be saved. The female dolphin, ...
Bridge to China brings threat for Hong Kong's native pink dolphin
Hong Kong's rare pale pink dolphins are battling for survival as building work on a 19-mile (31-km) bridge linking the Asian financial hub with China disrupts the communication and feeding activities of the highly sociable animals, marine experts say. The Chinese white dolphin, which appears ...
Defying criticism, Taiji pushes forward with bold plans based on continued dolphin hunts
A few years back, the normally sleepy town of Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture was filled with activists furious with its traditional dolphin hunt, which was featured in "The Cove," a 2009 Academy Award-winning documentary. But as the fury ebbs, the town is now betting its ...
Big and brilliant: Study links large size of sperm whale's brain to complex social behavior
Cetaceans — whales and dolphins — are among the brainiest of beings. In terms of sheer brain size, the sperm whale is tops on Earth, with a brain six times larger than that of a person. And now, scientists have identified key differences among cetaceans ...
Shimoda aquarium's bottlenose dolphin Nana sets Japan record of nearly 43 years in captivity
A dolphin at an aquarium in Shizuoka Prefecture has set the Japanese record for longest time in captivity, the aquarium in the city of Shimoda said Oct. 4. Nana the bottlenose dolphin has marked 15,666 days, or 42 years and 11 months, living in ...
