7th Orca Calf Born
This past week, the Center of Whale
Research announced that a new calf
was born to the endangered Southern Resident orcas! The seventh
addition to the pod is L123, and the calf’s birth increases the orca population
size to what experts believe is about 83. Experts will be monitoring the new
calf for the next several weeks, and we’ll give you updates when we can. While
news of a newborn calf is exciting, it’s tempered by the reality that this new
addition has a limited supply of wild Chinook salmon to eat from. For the growing orca population to survive, more wild Chinook
salmon need to be restored before it’s too late. We look forward to
the day when there can be celebrations all around for a newborn orca calf. We
urge local, state and federal agencies to make that a reality sooner rather than
later through wild Chinook salmon restoration efforts.
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Not a holiday goes by that I don’t think of the
special animals in my family—and how grateful I am for their second chances in
life.
It’s been 10 years since I brought home my beloved
dog Eve, and she still makes me smile every day. When my beloved cats Johnny
Rotten and Malinki passed away, I wasn’t ready for another cat right away. But
Ocho was rescued by a friend after he was hit by a car. He fully recovered and
now he is a permanent, and wonderful, member of my family. They were all
“rescues” who got a second chance, but really I’m always the lucky one.
Tony, a Siberian-Bengal Tiger, lives a
dismal life as a roadside attraction at a truck stop in Louisiana. He has been
there for over a decade, imprisoned in a cloud of diesel fumes and constantly
taunted by visitors. Tony’s heartless owner is using his power and influence in
the state to keep this hapless tiger captive in his concrete cage.
Lolita is one of the orcas kidnapped in the
horrific 1970 Penn Cove roundup in Puget Sound where four other members of her
family drowned in the capture nets. Orcas are highly social and live in large
family groups, but Lolita lives in isolation from other orcas at the Miami
Seaquarium, where she swims tiny circles in a shallow, barren tank. Her shameful
living conditions violate both the Endangered Species Act and the Animal Welfare
Act—yet she remains imprisoned.
But
with your help today, we have a chance to make sure Tony lives out his
remaining years in a sanctuary instead of a small, dark cage. We can work to
free Lolita, reintroduce her to her wild family, and make sure this never
happens to another Orca again.
Thank you for all you do to help animals. Best
wishes from our family to yours for a very happy holiday season and a
compassionate New Year.
Although dolphins, whales, and porpoises have captured the hearts of millions, these majestic animals are threatened by harmful fishing practices and the illegal wildlife trade and are being held in captivity under inhumane conditions around the world.
In the wild, thousands of Boto dolphins are brutally hunted in the Amazon, sperm whales are becoming tangled in mile-long drift nets in the Atlantic Ocean, and the world's smallest porpoise, the vaquita, has been pushed to the brink of extinction. In the U.S. and Indonesia, dolphins and orcas in captivity suffer because they are living in confined spaces and forced to perform for crowds.
Do you want to help preserve the lives of dolphins, whales, and porpoises in need? Join Defenders of Wildlife, Earthrace Conservation, Born Free USA, World Animal Protection, Oceana, and Endangered Species Coalition in taking action to protect whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
Free Lolita the Orca Whale!
Imagine being violently ripped away from your family at four years old and
being sold into a life of captivity for another species' entertainment. Imagine
also witnessing five of your family members drowning during the struggle, and a
companion committing suicide to escape the dreadful conditions in which you both
lived. That is the life story of Lolita, the oldest orca in captivity.
Lolita was captured from her home near the Puget Sound in Washington and has
been on display in marine parks for the past 45 years. She is currently on
display at the Miami Seaquarium, owned by Palace Entertainment, an amusement
park company based in California that operates 51 theme parks around the world.
She has lived in the same 60 by 80 foot tank, the smallest tank size for any
orca in North America, for the entire duration of her captivity. Since the
suicide of Hugo, the orca who briefly shared Lolita’s tank, Lolita has been
alone for the majority of this time. Despite these conditions being in direct
violation of the Animal Welfare Act, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Services have failed to recognize these issues or take action. Click here to read more and take action
Help Protect the Lives of Dolphins, Whales, and Vaquitas Around the World Take Action
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| Ban
Dolphin Shows in Indonesia |
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| Act
Now to End Orca Captivity in the U.S. |
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| Stop
the Killing of Boto River Dolphins in the Amazon |
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| Give
Sperm Whales the Protections They Need |
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| Pledge
to Defend the Endangered Species Act From Congressional Attacks |
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The
narwhal is a toothed whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. It is one of the
animals most vulnerable to climate change.
This holiday season you can support Mission
Blue by purchasing a limited edition Narwhal Shirt that features Dr. Sylvia Earle's famous quote,
"No Blue, No Green".
For every purchase, $8 is donated to Mission Blue in
support of establishing Hope Spots, protected areas that offer important benefits to
humans and narwhals, such as sequestering man-made carbon
emissions. These shirts are only available until December 14th, so make
your purchases
today!
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Mission
Blue is igniting real support for a global network of marine protected areas
– Hope Spots! – to protect 20% of the ocean by 2020.
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Your
support helps save the lives of dolphins and whales.
As
the year comes to an end, I hope you will help us again to stop the killing and
capture of dolphins and whales with as generous a contribution as you
can.
This
year you helped us:
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Intensify efforts inside and outside of Japan to get the government to end the
slaughter at Taiji. Japanese Prime Minister Abe is digging in against us.
Without more pressure he won't stop the dolphin killing.
Instead, he just sent their fleets out to kill hundreds of whales. We're
not stopping until this cruelty is ended!
• We
won a key court battle to stop import of 18 beluga whales that were stripped from the wild in Russia and faced
shortened and miserable lives in captive tanks in the US. Our message is clear:
We will fight every plan to capture and import wild dolphins and
whales.
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We're leading the way to force SeaWorld and other entertainment facilities to
end the capture, forced breeding, and circus performances. It's time
that captive orcas are retired to seaside sanctuaries.
These are
just a few of the efforts by our dedicated team working to make the world safe
for dolphins and whales.
With a monthly
sustaining donation or a one-time contribution, we'll send you a signed copy of
the newly released New York Times bestseller about dolphins by Susan Casey, a
new Dolphin Campaign t-shirt, or a "Blackfish" movie DVD (all with free
shipping).
We
know what needs to be done. With your help - we can do it. I promise you
we will make your donation go a long way.
On
behalf of all dolphins swimming in their natural ocean homes and those that are
desperate for our help, thank you again for your critical support. |
