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North Atlantic right whale - Peter Flood

Whale AID 2023: A Night of Music and Hope for North Atlantic Right Whales

The inaugural Whale AID concert to support Whale and Dolphin Conservation's (WDC's) work to protect...
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Meet the 2023 Interns: Thomas Zoutis

I'm happy to introduce WDC's first Marine Mammal Conservation Intern of the year, Thomas Zoutis!...
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Double Your Impact for Marine Animal Rescue & Response

On a chilly day this past December, the WDC North America team celebrated the first...
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WDC’s Education Wishlist = Cleared!

To the WDC Community, I want to thank you so much for your support of...
Hysazu Photography

Looking forward for Southern Resident orcas in 2023

Hysazu Photography 2022 was a big year for Southern Resident orcas - 2022 brought the...
Credit: Seacoast Science Center

The Unlikely Adventure of Shoebert, a Young Grey Seal Who Visited an Industrial Park Pond

Credit: Seacoast Science Center In mid-September, our stranding partners in northern Massachusetts were inundated with...
Leaping harbour porpoise

The power of harbour porpoise poo

We know we need to save the whale to save the world. Now we are...
Right whale - Regina WDC

Whale and Dolphin Conservation: Change Through Policy.

WDC focuses on education, research, conservation projects, and policy work to create a sustainable future...

Right Whale Obituary Series: Lucky

With a population of fewer then 500 North Atlantic right whales, every individual is important for the continuation of the species – especially the reproductive females. Telling the story of these individuals is important to show the need for stronger legal protections. We began this series with Reyna, a near-to-term pregnant female right whale that was stuck and killed by a vessel. We continue the series with Lucky, a female who we thought escaped death at the hands of a vessel strike only to find out that she wasn’t that Lucky after all.  

Lucky: Lucky was born in 1991 to her mother named Magic. She was named Lucky for the deep propeller scars she received from being struck by a vessel earlier in her life and was thought to be  lucky enough to survive. You can see the deep scars in this photo, taken by the New England Aquarium.

On January 12th, 2005, at the age of fourteen, Lucky was found dead off the coast of Georgia, pregnant with what was believed to be her very first calf.

In the winter, Lucky spent much of her time in Georgia and Florida searching for “Mr. Right,” and come spring she would travel north to feed. She loved to travel all the way up to the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada to spend time with her friends. Lucky also frequently made visits to Cape Cod Bay and the Great South Channel where she would mingle with other whales and eat in order to tide herself over for the remainder of her long trip to the Bay of Fundy.

Today, ships still pass through these very important migration paths, posing a very real threat to the survival of Lucky’s remaining North Atlantic right whale family.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting your support of the continuation of the North Atlantic Right Whale Ship Strike Speed Rule to prevent these tragic incidents from continuing. Please visit www.whales.org and sign our petition to strengthen protections for North Atlantic right whale.