Save Critically Endangered Dolphins from Fishing Nets.
Target: Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key
Goal: Ban fishing in Maui’s dolphin habitats in New Zealand.
Maui’s dolphins are the smallest and rarest breed of dolphin, and they are critically endangered. There are less than 50 of these creatures left in the wild, and their numbers are only getting smaller thanks to human activity. Drastic and immediate action has to be taken by the New Zealand government if these dolphins are to have any chance of surviving. Sign this petition and tell Prime Minister John Key to halt fishing along with oil and gas exploration in dolphin habitats.
The current protections for the Maui’s dolphins are limited. At the moment New Zealand has banned fishing in limited areas, but animal organizations are demanding for the end of fishing in dolphin habitats. Maui’s dolphins are dying because they are being caught in fishing nets, or are being led away from their habitats because of noise. At the moment there are only 43-47 dolphins, with 10 mature females left, according to new estimates by conservation organization Nabu. An estimated five Maui’s dolphins are killed every year thanks to fishing nets.
New Zealand needs to stop prioritizing the fishing industry and instead place more care towards saving the biodiversity of the area. Fishing has proved to be extremely harmful to the environment, and this is just another piece of evidence to demonstrate why. Sign this petition to save the Maui’s dolphin; tell Prime Minister John Key to stop fishing in the dolphin habitats.
Dear Prime Minister John Key,
The current condition of the Maui’s dolphin is critical. There are less than 50 of these dolphins in the wild and their numbers are slowly dwindling as the years go by. Animal conservation groups are demanding drastic action, such as stopping all fishing activity in the dolphin’s habitats, along with stopping oil and gas exploration. I, too, am deeply concerned for the survival of these creatures.
I implore you to halt all fishing in these dolphins’ home. It is not ethical or moral to continue to fish when there are numerous populations suffering from overfishing. It is not just the Maui’s dolphins that are suffering, but various other marine wildlife are at risk as well. The Maui’s dolphins are only found in New Zealand, and if they disappear then future generations can’t see them. This is what all animal conservation groups are trying to prevent. For the sake of our environment and biodiversity please ban all fishing in the dolphins’ habitats.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Earthrace Conservation
Target: Dr. John Nightingale, president and CEO of Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre
Goal: Demand the Vancouver Aquarium be transparent and respectful about its part in the death of innocent animals.
Hana, one of just two of the Vancouver Aquarium’s Pacific white-sided dolphins, recently died at an unusually early age. The dolphin’s death occurred a few months after the death of another one of the aquarium’s animals, a beluga whale named Nanuq, who died at SeaWorld.
Hana was around 21 years old when she died, which is very off-putting when compared with the fact that Pacific white-sided dolphins usually live to the age of 40 years old. The aquarium now has over 40 deaths of animals on its hands, with the Dodo, an animal welfare community, reporting that many of these deaths occurred after failed attempts at captive breeding.
Although the aquarium stated that the cause of Hana’s death was unknown, they did make a point of saying that it was not because Hana was a wild animal kept in captivity. The aquarium’s statements have largely been about the sadness of the death of Hana, yet they have failed to mention much about the living conditions that may have brought the poor animal to this young death.
In a move that seems to hardly express the sadness in losing such a young animal life, the aquarium has already announced that they are looking for a replacement for Hana. This kind of disrespect for an innocent wild animal life just further demonstrates the irresponsibility of the aquarium and its lack of empathy and respect for the lives of animals, instead considering these beautiful creatures as commodities.
This kind of blatant disrespect and dishonesty surrounding the death of a helpless, innocent animal cannot go unnoticed and should not be tolerated. Demand the Vancouver aquarium be transparent with the public about this abnormal death and follow respectful procedures in the steps taken after Hana’s death.
Dear Dr. Nightingale,
One of your aquarium’s Pacific white-sided dolphins, Hana, has died recently. The dolphin’s death occurred just a few short months after the death of another one of the aquarium’s animals, a beluga whale named Nanuq. Your aquarium now has over 40 animal deaths on its hands, with many of these deaths possibly caused by problems of living in captivity.
Hana was only 21 when she died when most dolphins her age live to be 40. You not only failed to disclose this fact to the public, you also haven’t provided any transparency surrounding the cause of this innocent animal’s death. To add insult to injury, you’ve already talked about finding a replacement to perform in place of this animal.
This kind of blatant disrespect and dishonesty surrounding the death of a helpless, innocent animal should not be happening. I urge you to be transparent with the public about this abnormal death and follow respectful procedures in the steps taken after Hana’s death.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: greyloch
One of the largest questions surrounding marine animal captivity is whether these animals would be able to survive if released back into the wild. Many people think that species like dolphins and orca whales lose their natural abilities and instincts when in captivity, rendering them helpless in a wild environment. While this might be the case for animals who are born into captivity, as they never truly learn how to act like a wild member of their species, those that are born in the wild and then forced into captivity do have the potential to relearn and remember essential skills.
The two dolphins in this video, Tom and Misha were captured from the wild off the coast of Turkey for use in “swim with dolphin” attractions. Thanks to a campaign from BornFree and a local organization, however, Tom and Misha were rehomed from their captive facility to an open water sea pen managed by the Back to the Blue Project.
Under the guidance of Jeff Foster, an experienced animal behaviorist, the Back to the Blue Project’s aimed to rehabilitate Tom and Misha and prepare them to be released back into the wild. It took around 20 weeks of hard work, but Tom and Misha were able to relearn all the important survival skills they lost while in captivity.
We could not be more thrilled to see these two dolphins return to their rightful home. A big thanks to all the kind people who made it happen!
