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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...
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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...
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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...
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Clear WDC’s Amazon Wishlist for Giving Tuesday

UPDATE: We are thrilled to report that everything was donated off of our Amazon Wishlist...

Learning to rescue stranded whales in Adelaide

Whales and dolphins swimming free in the ocean are the very essence of controlled grace. Stranded on shore they are pathetically helpless.

There appear to be many reasons cetaceans strand, including getting lost and confused, being sick or injured, or being chased there by predators such as sharks and orcas. Evidence is accumulating that loud noises produced by various human activities also play a role.

It is very clear that the sooner cetaceans can be rescued after coming ashore, the greater is their chance of survival. Having a pool of trained people can significantly reduce the response time of a rescue.

Courses on how to assist at a stranding are now run in many parts of the world. Last weekend I ran one in Adelaide, Australia for thirty government staff and volunteers (including two people from the board of WDC Australasia). The course involved providing people with some basic biological information on cetaceans and the ones which strand in our region, followed by step by step instruction on how to deal with different stranding scenarios.

We don’t have very many live strandings in the Adelaide area but we are certainly much better equipped to handle one quickly and effectively now!