Blue Whale Disentanglement Effort Suspended Until Saturday Morning.
Authorities on Friday evening said they would continue their efforts to free a blue whale that was caught in a buoy line off the coast of San Pedro on Saturday morning.
The whale — one of roughly 2,000 blue whales found off the California coast — was first spotted by a whale watching boat at about 1:30 p.m., towing a fishing line connected to a red buoy.
Aerial footage from Sky9 showed the leviathan — estimated to be 75 feet long — surfacing about 10 miles off the coast and then diving below the surface, taking the red buoy underwater, too. The line was estimated to be about 200 feet long.
Wildlife experts said the buoy could interfere with the whale’s ability to dive below the surface and feed on krill.
Around 5 p.m., lifeguards ferried marine animalrescuers to the whale in a 10-foot dinghy.
The rescuers tied a second, larger buoy to the buoy line to more easily keep tabs on the whale.
Rescuers hoped to cut the line with a lance, but were not able to complete their mission before conditions became dangerous and the sun began to set.
Authorities are asking any boaters who see the entangled whale on Saturday morning to notify the Coast Guard. (©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
Let Morgan the Orca Go Home!
On June 23, 2010, Morgan, a young female orca, was found emaciated in the Wadden Sea off the coast of the Netherlands. The Dolfinarium Harderwijk in the Netherlands captured Morgan and transported her to its facility under a permit that specifically provided for her recovery, with the purpose of subsequent release. She recovered at the dolphinarium in just a few months.
Target: Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter
Sign Here!
Goal: Praise Pixar for making the movie “Finding Dory” more animal-friendly and for opening discussion about animals being help in captivity.
Pixar is helping to open discussion about the ethics of marine animals being held in captivity with their new movie “Finding Dory” (set to release in June of 2016) and even changed the ending to make it more animal-friendly.
Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter and “Finding Dory” director Andrew Stanton met with “Blackfish” director Gabriela Cowperthwaite to make sure that the ending was not perceived the wrong way and decided to alter the film slightly. The original ending of the move had some marine mammals being sent to an environment similar to SeaWorld, but after seeing “Blackfish,” executives changed the ending so that the sea creatures had a choice to stay there or not.
Ellen DeGeneres, who voices the lead character in the film, is also speaking out on the topic. DeGeneres says that “Finding Dory” is about helping marine life and returning them to their natural homes in the ocean. She recently said, “I think that fish should be in the ocean. It’s what this whole sequel is about. It’s about rehabilitation and putting them back in the ocean … And we have to protect our oceans. Hopefully that discussion starts with this film, because we really need to protect that environment.”
This is not good news for SeaWorld and other marine parks that cater to families who will flock to see this movie. After the 2013 documentary “Blackfish” alerted everyone to the cruel life of captive animals in SeaWorld, more people are trying to end unnecessary marine captivity. SeaWorld recently reported a two percent drop in attendance over last year’s numbers and an 85 percent decrease in net income to $5.8 million. That is an enormous loss of income and it appears to be just the beginning of the slow downfall of SeaWorld. Hopefully, SeaWorld will eventually be turned into a rehabilitation center that only holds animals who need assistance and that will eventually be released back into the wild.
The fact that Pixar executives knew the impact their film could have on kids and adults alike shows a great respect for marine animals and they deserve to be applauded for it. Please sign the petition below to thank Pixar for changing the ending to “Finding Dory” and for welcoming discussion on animals in captivity.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. Lasseter,
I am writing to you to thank you for understanding the impact that “Finding Dory” could have on kids and for altering the ending of it so that it is more animal-friendly. Pixar’s appreciation of marine life needs to be acknowledged.
After the release of “Blackfish,” many have been alerted to the cruel life of sea creatures at SeaWorld. SeaWorld continues to lose money and I am hopeful that it will soon go out of business after more people realize the horrible life that marine animals are subjected to.
Thank you for altering the ending of “Finding Dory” and spreading the message that animals should not be held in captivity. This will open discussions about the ethics of animals held in captivity and hopefully help put an end to places like SeaWorld.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Adrian Pingstone
Whales Face a New Threat From the Melting Arctic. Disappearing sea ice is giving hunters a fast new route to get the meat of endangered fin whales to Japanese markets.
The whale — one of roughly 2,000 blue whales found off the California coast — was first spotted by a whale watching boat at about 1:30 p.m., towing a fishing line connected to a red buoy.
Aerial footage from Sky9 showed the leviathan — estimated to be 75 feet long — surfacing about 10 miles off the coast and then diving below the surface, taking the red buoy underwater, too. The line was estimated to be about 200 feet long.
Wildlife experts said the buoy could interfere with the whale’s ability to dive below the surface and feed on krill.
Around 5 p.m., lifeguards ferried marine animalrescuers to the whale in a 10-foot dinghy.
The rescuers tied a second, larger buoy to the buoy line to more easily keep tabs on the whale.
Rescuers hoped to cut the line with a lance, but were not able to complete their mission before conditions became dangerous and the sun began to set.
Authorities are asking any boaters who see the entangled whale on Saturday morning to notify the Coast Guard. (©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
Let Morgan the Orca Go Home!
During this time, a group of experts—the Free Morgan Foundation—compared Morgan's unique calls to those of other orcas in the region and found that she most likely belonged to an orca population in the Norwegian Sea. The foundation developed a detailed plan for Morgan's rehabilitation, with the intent of reintroducing her to her pod.
But Morgan was never released back into the wild. Instead, she was shipped off to Loro Parque, a marine park in Tenerife, Spain, that has connections to notorious orca abuser SeaWorld, which now claims to own her.
Morgan is still living there in a small concrete tank, alongside other orcas on loan from SeaWorld. These intelligent animals are denied everything that is important to them and forced to perform for tourists.
Morgan is still living there in a small concrete tank, alongside other orcas on loan from SeaWorld. These intelligent animals are denied everything that is important to them and forced to perform for tourists.
Time and time again, experts have identified health problems and psychological distress in the orcas at Loro Parque. All of them have broken and worn teeth from biting on the sides of the tanks. Some have rake marks all over their bodies from painful attacks by incompatible animals or mucus dripping from their eyes. They float on the surface of the water, bored and listless, exhibiting behaviour unheard of among wild orcas.
Speak out for Morgan! Send a message to the Spanish government and let it know that you want to see the orcas imprisoned by SeaWorld and Loro Parque transferred to a coastal sanctuary, where Morgan can be rehabilitated for potential reintroduction to her home and family and the other five orcas from Loro Parque can live in as natural of a setting as possible.
Praise Pixar for Movie’s Anti-SeaWorld Message.Speak out for Morgan! Send a message to the Spanish government and let it know that you want to see the orcas imprisoned by SeaWorld and Loro Parque transferred to a coastal sanctuary, where Morgan can be rehabilitated for potential reintroduction to her home and family and the other five orcas from Loro Parque can live in as natural of a setting as possible.Target: Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter
Sign Here!
Goal: Praise Pixar for making the movie “Finding Dory” more animal-friendly and for opening discussion about animals being help in captivity.
Pixar is helping to open discussion about the ethics of marine animals being held in captivity with their new movie “Finding Dory” (set to release in June of 2016) and even changed the ending to make it more animal-friendly.
Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter and “Finding Dory” director Andrew Stanton met with “Blackfish” director Gabriela Cowperthwaite to make sure that the ending was not perceived the wrong way and decided to alter the film slightly. The original ending of the move had some marine mammals being sent to an environment similar to SeaWorld, but after seeing “Blackfish,” executives changed the ending so that the sea creatures had a choice to stay there or not.
Ellen DeGeneres, who voices the lead character in the film, is also speaking out on the topic. DeGeneres says that “Finding Dory” is about helping marine life and returning them to their natural homes in the ocean. She recently said, “I think that fish should be in the ocean. It’s what this whole sequel is about. It’s about rehabilitation and putting them back in the ocean … And we have to protect our oceans. Hopefully that discussion starts with this film, because we really need to protect that environment.”
This is not good news for SeaWorld and other marine parks that cater to families who will flock to see this movie. After the 2013 documentary “Blackfish” alerted everyone to the cruel life of captive animals in SeaWorld, more people are trying to end unnecessary marine captivity. SeaWorld recently reported a two percent drop in attendance over last year’s numbers and an 85 percent decrease in net income to $5.8 million. That is an enormous loss of income and it appears to be just the beginning of the slow downfall of SeaWorld. Hopefully, SeaWorld will eventually be turned into a rehabilitation center that only holds animals who need assistance and that will eventually be released back into the wild.
The fact that Pixar executives knew the impact their film could have on kids and adults alike shows a great respect for marine animals and they deserve to be applauded for it. Please sign the petition below to thank Pixar for changing the ending to “Finding Dory” and for welcoming discussion on animals in captivity.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. Lasseter,
I am writing to you to thank you for understanding the impact that “Finding Dory” could have on kids and for altering the ending of it so that it is more animal-friendly. Pixar’s appreciation of marine life needs to be acknowledged.
After the release of “Blackfish,” many have been alerted to the cruel life of sea creatures at SeaWorld. SeaWorld continues to lose money and I am hopeful that it will soon go out of business after more people realize the horrible life that marine animals are subjected to.
Thank you for altering the ending of “Finding Dory” and spreading the message that animals should not be held in captivity. This will open discussions about the ethics of animals held in captivity and hopefully help put an end to places like SeaWorld.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Whales Face a New Threat From the Melting Arctic. Disappearing sea ice is giving hunters a fast new route to get the meat of endangered fin whales to Japanese markets.
Climate change is hurting whales but not in the way you’d expect.
For the first time, an Icelandic whaling vessel traversed the Arctic’s Northeast Passage this week, carrying 1,800 tons of frozen endangered fin whale meat to be sold in Japanese markets.
The ship, called Winter Bay, made the trek through Arctic waters thanks to the near-record-low sea ice extent this summer. That’s opened up a passageway typically impassable for a vessel of Winter Bay’s size.
After leaving Tromso, Norway, on Aug. 1, the whaling vessel arrived in Osaka, Japan, Monday morning, according to the Japan Times, bringing nearly 40 percent of the whale meat the country consumes annually in just one shipment.
For conservationists, the successful passage is a defeat in more ways than one. Activist groups like Sea Shepherd—whose work involves confronting whaling ships at sea—often position their vessels in the Indian and Southern oceans and wait to intercept ships on their way to hunt whales in the Antarctic or transport whale meat to Japan.
Capt. Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd’s founder, said the potential of a clear northern passageway has his team concerned.
Iceland Brewer Promotes Whale-Testicle Beer. Yes, Really
“We are talking with the Russians to see if we can convince them to disallow future transports of whale meat through the Northeastern passage,” Watson said in an email.
If a northern route becomes more accessible, whaling vessels will have a shorter route to their main buyer—Japan.
Sea Shepherd reported in July that it had sent its anti-whaling vessel, Sam Simon, to monitor the Winter Bay in Tromso. It said the ship—originally a Norwegian vessel—was flying a Saint Kitts and Nevis flag and had tons of whale meat on board that it “harvested from endangered whales slaughtered in the North Atlantic by Icelandic whaling company Hvalur H/F.”
Iceland has ignored an international ban on killing endangered fin whales.
Now, a petition that has collected more than 1 million signatures is calling for Iceland to end the fin whale hunts and ban the sale of whale meat abroad, and for Saint Kitts and Nevis to order the Winter Bay to remove its flag, which would prevent the ship from leaving or entering ports.
While dockworkers in Osaka were receiving the shipment of fin whale meat, officials near Taiji—the site of the country’s infamous dolphin drives and hunts—were arresting Ric O’Barry, subject of the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, which focused international attention on the controversial hunt.
O’Barry, the founder of the Dolphin Project, was arrested for not presenting his passport to officials on Aug. 31, the day before the six-month hunting season opens.
Barry’s son, Lincoln O’Barry, said in a phone interview that Japanese journalists most likely alerted the police of his father's whereabouts after they saw the 75-year-old eating dinner at a restaurant near Taiji.
“The journalists most likely saw him, phoned the police, and told him he was drunk driving—trying to create a story,” Lincoln O’Barry said. “When they found him completely sober, they decided to detain him, since he couldn’t find his passport right away.”
A local police spokesperson in Shingu told Agence France-Presse that a report came in that O’Barry was drinking alcohol and driving, so officers were dispatched to find him and check his breath. “He smelled like alcohol, but the reading on the (breathalyzer) was not high,” the spokesperson said.
O’Barry’s passport was found in his glove box but not before the onetime trainer of Flipper the dolphin spent a night in jail.
“My dad wasn’t drunk,” Lincoln O’Barry said. “This was a circus from the get-go.”
The charges were dropped, and after his release, Ric O’Barry and the rest of the Dolphin Project team returned to Taiji to monitor the cove and continue raising awareness about the hunts they’ve been working for 13 years to shut down.
“Ric didn't miss any protests because the winds were too high for the killing boats to go out,” said Louie Psihoyos, director of The Cove and executive director of the Ocean Preservation Society.
Hundreds of dolphins every year are driven by boats into the cove, where they are either killed for their meat or sold to marine aquariums around the world for six-figure sums.
As many as half of the captive dolphins in Japanese aquarium facilities have been captured through Taiji dolphin drives—a practice the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums banned earlier this year.
“With the JAZA decision, the dolphin hunters have fewer avenues to sell these dolphins locally, and that’s a good thing,” Lincoln O'Barry said. “They are still selling them overseas to aquariums and facilities in China, so our next step is to pressure the airlines, who are transporting these animals.”
