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Whale and Dolphin Conservation partners with local artist for art auction

PLYMOUTH, MA - Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) has partnered with local artist Erik Simmons...
dolphin FB Fundraiser

e.l.f. Cosmetics announces new “porpoise-ful” initiative to benefit Whale and Dolphin Conservation

For Immediate Release, March 16, 2023 OAKLAND, CA - On the fins of its first...

Kiska the ‘world’s loneliest whale’ dies at Canadian theme park

Kiska, dubbed the loneliest whale in the world, has died at Marineland, a zoo and...
Grey seal is released from the kennel on the ocean side of Duxbury Beach

Why did the seal cross the road? WDC responds to a grey seal near Gurnet Point in Plymouth, MA

Grey seal is released from the kennel on the ocean side of Duxbury Beach For...

Possible lifeline for threatened orcas in Russia

According to a draft order from the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, an orca ecotype known as Bigg’s (or transient) orcas, who roam across vast areas in the waters of Russia’s Far East will be given their own entry in the Russian Red Book – a document that lists rare and endangered species.

The draft order needs to have final approval from the Russian government but, if successful, will give them special status and mean that no more of these orcas will be allowed to be captured for commercial purposes, such as captivity shows.

Bigg’s orcas are part of a group that eat other marine mammals such as harbour seals, minke whales and gray whale calves rather than fish and, according to estimates from our Russian partners at the Far East Russia Orca Project (FEROP), only a few hundred of them remain in the seas around Russia. As many as 16 to 20 orcas – most if not all transients – have been removed for aquariums in the past three years which could have a dramatic impact on the rest of the population.