Category Archives: Whales

Whale, that was close!: humpback appears to overturn kayakers in California

Posted on by

Two whale-watchers at Avila beach had a close encounter that dumped them into the ocean

Two kayakers in California had an unsettlingly close whale watching experience Monday, after a humpback appeared to overturn their boat and almost swallow them, according to a report.

Liz Cottriel and Julie McSorley told the Fresno-area Fox affiliate that they were watching whales from a distance of about 30 feet (9.14 meters) during what appeared to be a peaceful morning near Avila beach.

Continue reading...

Sri Lanka rescues 120 whales after biggest mass stranding

Posted on by

Gruelling rescue involved navy and volunteers pulling the pilot whales back into deeper waters

Sri Lanka’s navy and volunteers have rescued 120 pilot whales stranded in the country’s worst mass beaching, but at least two injured animals were found dead, officials said.

Sailors from the navy and the coastguard along with local volunteers had pulled back at least 120 whales by dawn on Tuesday after a gruelling overnight rescue operation, navy spokesman Indika de Silva said.

Continue reading...

Stop blowing up bombs on sea floor, say whale campaigners

Posted on by

Wartime relics need to be cleared for wind farms but explosions can kill cetaceans

The detonation of wartime bombs left on the seafloor around the UK must end to stop the deaths of whales and dolphins, campaigners say.

The offshore wind industry is expanding rapidly and this may lead to a sharp rise in such explosions as the seafloor is cleared before construction. A quieter “burning” technique is already available, say the campaigners.

Continue reading...

Race to save 100 whales in Sri Lanka’s biggest mass beaching

Posted on by

Navy joins forces with rescuers and volunteers in effort to push pilot whales back into ocean

Rescuers and volunteers were racing to save about 100 pilot whales stranded on Sri Lanka’s western coast in the country’s biggest mass beaching.

The short-finned pilot whales began beaching at Panadura, 15 miles (25km) south of Colombo, shortly before dusk. Within an hour their numbers swelled to about 100, a local police chief, Sanjaya Irasinghe, said.

Continue reading...

Spain bans yachts from stretch of sea after orcas damage boats

Posted on by

Yachts less than 15 metres told to avoid area near coast of Galicia after series of incidents

Small yachts have been ordered to steer clear of a stretch of water off the north-west coast of Spain after at least three boats were damaged by a gang of boisterous orcas.

On Tuesday, Spain’s transport ministry said yachts of less than 15 metres in length would be banned from sailing close to the coast between Cape Prioriño Grande and Estaca de Bares point in Galicia for a week.

Continue reading...

380 whales dead in worst mass stranding in Australia’s history

Posted on by

More than 450 long-finned pilot whales became stranded in harbour in Tasmania with rescuers managing to save about 50

About 380 pilot whales were confirmed dead in Tasmania’s west on Wednesday afternoon with rescuers fighting to save the remaining 30 that are still alive.

More than 450 long-finned pilot whales were caught on sandbanks and beaches inside Macquarie Harbour with a rescue effort starting on Tuesday morning.

Continue reading...

‘I’ve never seen or heard of attacks’: scientists baffled by orcas harassing boats

Posted on by

Reports of orcas striking sailing boats in the Straits of Gibraltar have left sailors and scientists confused. Just what is causing such unusually aggressive behaviour?

When nine killer whales surrounded the 46ft boat that Victoria Morris was crewing in Spain on the afternoon of 29 July, she was elated. The biology graduate taught sailing in New Zealand and is used to friendly orca encounters. But the atmosphere quickly changed when they started ramming the hull, spinning the boat 180 degrees, disabling the autohelm and engine. The 23-year-old watched broken bits of the rudder float off, leaving the four-person crew without steering, drifting into the Gibraltar Straits shipping lane between Cape Trafalgar and the small town of Barbate.

Related: Scientists baffled by orcas ramming sailing boats near Spain and Portugal

Continue reading...

Scientists baffled by orcas ramming sailing boats near Spain and Portugal

Posted on by

From the Strait of Gibraltar to Galicia, orcas have been harassing yachts, damaging vessels and injuring crew

Full story: ‘I’ve never seen or heard of attacks’ – scientists baffled by orcas harassing boats

Scientists have been left baffled by incidents of orcas ramming sailing boats along the Spanish and Portuguese coasts.

In the last two months, from southern to northern Spain, sailors have sent distress calls after worrying encounters. Two boats lost part of their rudders, at least one crew member suffered bruising from the impact of the ramming, and several boats sustained serious damage.

Continue reading...

Close encounter: mother and calf humpback whales stun surfers at Sydney’s Manly beach

Posted on by

Images show dozens of surfers about 10 metres from whales, which migrate up and down the Australian coast

A humpback whale calf, closely followed by its mother, came within metres of surfers and swimmers at Manly beach, in Sydney’s north, on Sunday afternoon.

It is unusual to see a whale calf so early in the year in Sydney. Eastern Australian humpbacks migrate north from Antarctica, along the coast to tropical waters in north Queensland from April to July.

Continue reading...

Rescuers struggle to free sperm whale trapped in netting off Sicily

Posted on by

Divers and biologists trying to free whale caught in illegal netting near island of Salina

The Italian coastguard is struggling to free a sperm whale caught up in illegal fishing netting off the coast of one of Sicily’s Aeolian islands.

A team of divers and biologists have been working for more than 48 hours to help the whale close to the island of Salina. The whale’s huge size and agitated state has made the operation more challenging.

Continue reading...

‘Yeah, I’m in trouble’: man who rescued whale calf caught in Queensland nets faces $27,000 fine

Posted on by

Rescuer hailed a hero on social media but risks penalty for interfering with shark controls

A man who rescued a whale calf trapped in nets off the Gold Coast from a small boat may face a fine of almost $27,000.

The man rescued the stricken animal on Tuesday morning as officials took more than two hours to respond.

Continue reading...

Eight-foot whale found washed up on Thames shore

Posted on by

The minke whale was discovered on Friday by a patrol boat under Battersea Bridge

An eight-foot whale washed up on the shore of the Thames yesterday, where it was found by a patrol boat under Battersea Bridge.

The minke whale was found on Friday evening at about 10pm by a Port of London Authority boat, but it is not yet known how it got there or why it died.

Continue reading...

‘I was peeing and a polar bear popped up!’ Secrets of Seven Worlds, One Planet

Posted on by

Shooting poachers, circling polar bears, flailing four-tonne seals, singing rhinos and the world’s worst sea … the team behind Attenborough’s latest extravaganza relive their thrills and spills

Chadden Hunter, producer, North America and South America

Continue reading...

Second whale found dead in Thames in less than two weeks

Posted on by

Discovery of whale’s body near Gravesend follows death of young humpback this month

A second whale has been found dead in the Thames less than two weeks after a humpback nicknamed Hessy died near the same stretch of water.

The Port of London Authority confirmed the suspected fin whale was discovered in the river at Denton, near Gravesend, on Friday morning.

Continue reading...

Humpback whale found dead in Thames was hit by a ship

Posted on by

Investigators say it is unclear whether wound happened before or after its death

A humpback whale that died after swimming into the Thames was hit by a ship, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has said.

However, it is not clear whether the wound on the juvenile female was inflicted before or after its death.

Continue reading...

Two whales flown from Shanghai aquarium to sanctuary in Iceland

Posted on by

Female 12-year-old beluga whales Little Grey and Little White arrive at Klettsvik Bay

Two beluga whales from a Shanghai aquarium have arrived in Iceland to live out their days in a unique marine sanctuary that conservationists hope will become a model for rehoming 3,000 of the creatures currently in captivity.

Little Grey and Little White, two 12-year-old female belugas, left behind their previous lives entertaining visitors at the Changfeng Ocean World and were flown across the globe in specially tailored containers.

Continue reading...

Whale with harness could be Russian weapon, say Norwegian experts

Posted on by

Fisherman raised alarm after white whale sporting unusual strapping began harassing their boats

Marine experts in Norway believe they have stumbled upon a white whale that was trained by the Russian navy as part of a programme to use underwater mammals as a special ops force.

Fishermen in waters near the small Norwegian fishing village of Inga reported last week that a white beluga whale wearing a strange harness had begun to harass their fishing boats.

Continue reading...

Fossil of ancient four-legged whale with hooves discovered

Posted on by

Giant 42.6m-year-old fossil was found along coast of Peru and suggests creature could walk on land

An ancient four-legged whale with hooves has been discovered, providing new insights into how the ancestors of the Earth’s largest mammals made the transition from land to sea.

The giant 42.6m-year-old fossil, discovered in marine sediments along the coast of Peru, appears to have been adapted for a semi-aquatic lifestyle. Its hoofed feet and the shape of its legs suggest it would have been capable of bearing the weight of its bulky four metre long body and walking on land. Other anatomical features, including a powerful tail and webbed feet similar to an otter suggest it was also a strong swimmer.

Continue reading...

Japan’s war on whales isn’t over – the Australian government must keep fighting | Darren Kindleysides

Posted on by

Australia’s global leadership on whale conservation will be tested as Japanese hunters move to a different hemisphere

Japan’s whaling fleet arrived back at the port of Shimonoseki on the weekend with a barbaric tally of 333 dead whales that are no longer swimming freely in the Southern Ocean.

If the work of the Japanese whalers is anything like last year, more than 100 pregnant females and 50 or so juveniles will have been killed. But from now on, things are different.

Continue reading...