In a recent blog of mine, I alerted you all to a recent change of possible events with a Humpback Whale being spotted in Madasgascar.

One of my readers asked, “is this dangerous?”

Interesting point. It is of no danger to the whale, in one sense. But my experience with some scientists and researchers is that they are very “set” in how they view things. When an unusual event occurs they immediately hypothesize, opinionate, etc., as to what could possibly be “wrong” with a whale being spotted in Madagascar.

Scientists, researchers and man know what is wrong with whales and dolphins. They have been monitoring whale migrations for years. They also have been tracking the numbers of whales each year and know that the whale population is decreasing, due to man. That is the danger. That is why all whales are endangered. Read the rest of this entry »

There are only 300 northern right whales left, and 99% of blue whales have been wiped out.

These majestic giants are endangered species, and their case is being played out across the world, time and again. In fact, one third of all life forms on the planet are on the brink of extinction.
The natural world is being crushed by human activity, waste and exploitation. But there is a plan to save it — a global agreement to create, fund and enforce protected areas covering 20% of our lands and seas by 2020. And right now, 193 governments are meeting in Japan to address this crisis.

We have just 4 days left in this crucial meeting. Experts say that politicians are hesitant to adopt such an ambitious goal, but that a global public outcry could tip the balance, making leaders feel the eyes of the world upon them. Click to sign the urgent 20/20 petition, and forward this email widely — the message will be delivered directly to the meeting in Japan:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/the_end_of_whales/?vl

There are many of you who get my blog and are animal lovers. You also have many friends that you can alert and get them to sign this petition as well. I would really appreciate all of your help to get the word out.

Right now this conference is really not being promoted widely. It is being blacked out by those countries who are species centric and do not really care if we lose whales.

Please take a look at this petition, sign it and connect others, to it. It is a solution and something YOU can do!

It can be what is referred to the “mouse that roared” in the history books of man.

In this case the “mouse” is Palau, a small island chain in the Philippines.

And who it roared at, is Japan.

And who Palau roared for, is endangered Dolphins and Whales!

The Palau island chain consists of about 200 islands located in the western Pacific Ocean, 528 mi (650 km) southeast of the Philippines. Only eight of the islands are permanently inhabited. They vary geologically from the high, mountainous, largest island, Babelthuap, to low coral islands, usually fringed by large barrier reefs. The population is roughly 22,000 people. And so compared to Japan, it is a ‘mouse’. But a very caring and intelligent one!

In a bold and daring move, Dr. Susan Lieberman, director of international policy for the PEW Environment Group, announced the creation of 230,000 square miles of safe haven for whales and dolphins surrounding the Palau island chain at the meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity – in Nagoya, Japan! Read the rest of this entry »

Just this past week, researchers announced the discovery that dolphin DNA and human DNA aren’t that dissimilar! In fact a dolphin’s genetic makeup:

“ …is amazingly similar to humans. They’re closer to us than cows, horses, or pigs, despite the fact that they live in the water.”, as quoted by Seema Kumar of Discovery Channel Online.

“The extent of the genetic similarity came as a real surprise to us,” says David Busbee of Texas A&M University. He hopes his research will reveal how long ago humans and dolphins branched off the evolutionary tree. There’s been some speculation that dolphins and whales, who breathe air, may have returned to the water AFTER first evolving into land animals.

Read the rest of this entry »

A recent newspaper article in the SPOKESMAN REVIEW, noted that a lone female humpback whale has confounded scientists by traveling a route completely opposite to the normal migration patterns of the species:

“While humpbacks normally migrate along a north-to-south axis to feed and mate, this one – affectionately called AHWC No. 1363 – made the unusual decision to check out a new continent thousands of miles to the east.

Marine ecologist Peter Stevick says it probably wasn’t love that motivated her – whales meet their partners at breeding sites, so it’s unlikely that this one was following a potential mate.

“It may be that this is an extreme example of exploration,” he said. “Or it could be that the animal got very lost.” Read the rest of this entry »

I just found a site which listens and records whale songs going on at this very minute! And you can listen to them right now, too!

The cool thing is that you can listen to whales right from your computer desktop, thanks to a new website.

The LIDO (Listening to the Deep Ocean Environment) site offers a live feed to 10 hydrophones sprinkled around European waters, and one in Canada. Several more are scheduled to come soon in Canada and in Asia.

The network’s primary aim is to record and archive long-term subsea noise so that researchers can study the effects of human activity on whales and dolphins. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the divers on the rescue team works on the crab pot lines that held the female humpback whale near the Farallon Islands. The weight of the crab pots was pulling the animal down. Marine Mammal Center photo via Associated Press

Some of you may have heard about a recent endangered humpback whale being saved off the coast of San Francisco. It is a very touching story and once again, points up to the awareness and sentience of these wonderful creatures:

A humpback whale freed by divers from a tangle of crab trap lines near the Farallon Islands nudged its rescuers and flapped around in what marine experts said was a rare and remarkable encounter.

Sunday’s daring rescue was the first successful attempt on the West Coast to free an entangled humpback, said Shelbi Stoudt, stranding manager for the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County.

Read the rest of this entry »

The prosperity of the early American colonies and its Industrial Revolution was no doubt fueled by incredible massacres of whales: I million sperm whales, 384,000 blues, 275,000 humpbacks, 92,000 bowheads and 10,000 North Atlantic Right Whales. This does not include Japanese whaling.

The above numbers of remaining whales are staggering when one considers what is now left in our oceans today: 500-1,000 North Atlantic Right Whales, 8,000 Bowhead, 12,000 Blue Whales, 10,000 humpbacks and 200,000 sperm whales. When one considers the quantities of whales prior to 1900, one can actually see why ALL whales are endangered.

During that time, whales were hunted for their oil, wax and baleen. However, with the discovery of petroleum, whale hunting is no longer advancing at a rapid pace. That may seem favorable; not when one compares the populations of whales before the 1900’s.

Read the rest of this entry »