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Icelandic hunting vessels in port

Whaling boat kept in port after more hunt cruelty exposed

Icelandic whale hunting fleet One of the whaling boats involved in the latest hunts in...
Commerson's dolphin

New Important Marine Mammal Areas added to global ocean conservation list

Commerson's dolphin Experts from a number of countries have mapped out a new set of...
Fin whale shot with two harpoons

Whalers kill just days after Iceland’s hunt suspension is lifted

Whalers in Iceland have claimed their first victims since the lifting (just a few days...
Fin whale

Icelandic government lifts suspension on cruel hunts

The Icelandic government is to allow fin whales to be hunted again after lifting a...

Curtain falls on theatrical orca shows at SeaWorld San Diego

This Sunday (8th Jan) will see the end of SeaWorld San Diego’s controversial theatrical orca shows, a move that was announced by the captivity giant (along with an end to orca breeding programmes) last year

The decision came after growing public criticism regarding the keeping of whales and dolphins in captivity, which has led to corporate partners walking away, falling profits, and various  scandals in recent years.

The end to breeding means that this generation of captive orcas the last to be kept by SeaWorld, but the company has announced that the orcas currently held captive will remain in their small tanks and form part of a new, more ‘natural encounter’ show, with a rocky coastline and giant digital information screen for the public to see starting this summer.

SeaWorld says that parks in San Antonio and Orlando will follow suit by 2019, but many critics argue that little will change for the orcas who remain confined to a life swimming round and round in tanks. Following the death of Tilikum today, SeaWorld now holds 28 of the 55 orcas currently held in captivity, plus numerous dolphins and belugas captive who still perform tricks for ‘entertainment’.

WDC will continue to work towards the creation of more naturalistic sea pen sanctuaries where captive orcas can be retired.