In the 1960’s, Richard O’Barry was the world’s leading authority on dolphin training, working on the set of the popular television program Flipper. Day in and day out, O’Barry kept the dolphins working and television audiences smiling. But one day, that all came to a tragic end. THE COVE, directed by Louie Psihoyos, tells the amazing true story of how Psihoyos, O’Barry and an elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate a hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The mysteries they uncovere ... http://www.thecovemovieuk.com/thecove.htmlIn the 1960’s, Richard O’Barry was the world’s leading authority on dolphin... more
In the 1960’s, Richard O’Barry was the world’s leading authority on dolphin training, working on the set of the popular television program Flipper. Day in and day out, O’Barry kept the dolphins working and television audiences smiling. But one day, that all came to a tragic end. THE COVE, directed by Louie Psihoyos, tells the amazing true story of how Psihoyos, O’Barry and an elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate a hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The mysteries they uncovere ... http://www.thecovemovieuk.com/In the 1960’s, Richard O’Barry was the world’s leading authority on dolphin... more
In the 1960’s, Richard O’Barry was the world’s leading authority on dolphin training, working on the set of the popular television program Flipper. Day in and day out, O’Barry kept the dolphins working and television audiences smiling. But one day, that all came to a tragic end. THE COVE, directed by Louie Psihoyos, tells the amazing true story of how Psihoyos, O’Barry and an elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate a hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The mysteries they uncovere ... www.vertigofilms.comIn the 1960’s, Richard O’Barry was the world’s leading authority on dolphin... more
Japan is about to slaughter hundreds of dolphins despite international outcry. However, there is a way to stop this. Follow the link to learn more.Japan is about to slaughter hundreds of dolphins despite international outcry.... more
Photographs of actress Anna Paquin and actor Stephen Moyer, who co-star in "True Blood" on HBO, visiting SeaWorld in San Diego, CA on Sunday, July 26, 2009.Photographs of actress Anna Paquin and actor Stephen Moyer, who co-star in "True... more
What do you get when you cross a dolphin with a jet ski? The founders of Innespace Productions, a California watercraft company, asked themselves that question. And then they built their answer: The Seabreacher.What do you get when you cross a dolphin with a jet ski? The founders of Innespace... more
When building a submarine there's probably not many animals better than a dolphin to base it on, so with that in mind, the Seabreacher is off to a winning start.
The 'base model' will set you back $48,000 and can cruise at 35-40mph whilst on the surface and 20mph underwater. Just don't expect to be going 20,000 leagues down below, it can only dive to 5 foot, because of its snorkel.
Still, you can act out Flipper: The Movie to your heart' content now.When building a submarine there's probably not many animals better than a dolphin to... more
What's pink, has red eyes and leaps around a Louisiana shipping channel long enough for you to believe your eyes? A rare albino bottlenose dolphin. Bottlenose dolphins are common in the lower Calcasieu Ship Channel, feeding in the deep water and riding on top of boats' waves. And when the pink one jumps amid four dark gray dolphins, it's easy to spot.
The albino is just the 14th reported worldwide, and the third in the Gulf of Mexico, according to biologist Dagmar Fertl of Plano, Texas.What's pink, has red eyes and leaps around a Louisiana shipping channel long enough... more
Really? I keep thinking this is photoshop'd, but it turns up in multiple news feeds...
"BEIJING -- Thousands of dolphins blocked the suspected Somali pirate ships when they were trying to attack Chinese merchant ships passing the Gulf of Aden, the China Radio International reported on Monday."Really? I keep thinking this is photoshop'd, but it turns up in multiple news feeds...... more
Scientists have discovered dolphins in Australia using tools to help them hunt for fish.
The dolphins use sea sponge to protect their noses as they rummage the ocean floor for food.
The Dolphins firstly find a piece of sponge that fits their noses, before swimming along the ocean floor for food. They use the sponge to protect their noses as they scatter the sand, once they've startled a fish they drop the sponge and catch the fish.
Interestingly, this new fishing technique seems to be only used by females. Only one case of males doing this has been recorded.
Why's this?Scientists have discovered dolphins in Australia using tools to help them hunt for... more
Those who don't believe man is a blight on the planet ought to ask the whales.
But shout loudly, because they're a little hard of hearing these days.Those who don't believe man is a blight on the planet ought to ask the whales.
But... more
Dead porpoises have been turning up frequently around the beaches of Britain. Some die from starvation, some from drowning in fishing nets, even some from tuberculosis. However, the largest cause of death is due to physical trauma caused by, none other than, the Bottlenose dolphin.
So the question is why, why have the Bottlenose been assaulting and killing their cousins? One suggestion is that Bottlenose dolphins, strongly territorial creatures, may be eliminating competition in their hunting grounds. Nick Tregenza suggests otherwise; they may be killing and maiming for the simple pleasure of doing so. Tregenza suggests that the porpoises being killed are on a completely different diet then those of their killers, leading to him to believe that they are simply doing it for fun.Dead porpoises have been turning up frequently around the beaches of Britain. Some... more
I saw Obama's new web banner today an felt it was just a bit over the top...the glow, the fireworks, the overly photoshopped photos. It looks like he's president of Fairy Tale Land! Dont get me wrong, Im totally down with President Barak "The Awesome" Obama being ruler of the Gumdrop Forest and Cotton Candy Sea...but lets go all the way then! Kick it up a notch ya know!
So heres my idea for improving Obama's new web banner! Dolphins and Unicorns...thats change I can believe in! Whats yours?
Whale Wars
Fridays at 9 PM e/p, starting November 7
Captain Paul Watson founded his Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in 1977 because he believed his new organization had to go even further to eradicate whaling, poaching, shark finning and habitat destruction — and to uphold international conservation laws on the high seas — than the Greenpeace group he had co-founded.
For several years, Watson's group of staff and volunteers have engaged in a campaign almost every winter to find and stop Japanese ships that hunt whales in the name of research, attempting to stop them by any non-violent means necessary. The eclectic group — labeled activists, heroes and/or eco-pirates — leave port in Melbourne, Australia for a two-month campaign that is dangerous, controversial and has garnered international media attention. Sea Shepherd's dedicated, international crew have spent their holiday the last several years and risked their lives at the bottom of the Earth to save whales.
In the Spotlight
During the 2007-2008 campaign, Animal Planet captured the intensity of Sea Shepherd's mission and the trials and tribulations of the crew in a new seven-part, hour-long weekly series Whale Wars, premiering Friday, November 7 at 9 PM. The series draws attention to this global conservation issue that has caused friction between several nations over the practice of whaling in oceanic territories. This year's campaign was particularly eventful with multiple engagements, capsizing, possible hostage taking and alleged shooting, and Animal Planet crews were onboard to document it as it unfolded.
Highlighting both the controversial whaling trade and the tactics that Sea Shepherd and its staff and volunteers use to attempt to cripple it, the series documents the group's three-month sojourn across the icy Antarctic waters at the far end of the globe. Each week on Whale Wars, Animal Planet will take viewers on a powerful and adrenaline-fueled adventure and spotlight how the group takes action against alleged illegal whaling operations.
Aggressive Tactics
The Society's fight to eradicate Japanese whaling on the high seas — where international laws are interpreted by different countries and organizations in different ways — utilizes some aggressive techniques, including ramming and disabling whaling ships; disrupting whale carcass processing; engaging in physical entanglement; and boarding and dispersing fleets of whaling vessels. For the campaign this season, Sea Shepherd christened its vessel in honor of the iconic conservationist Steve Irwin with the blessing of his wife Terri, both of whom support the organization independent of Animal Planet.
"Whaling has no place in the 21st century," noted Watson. "Sea Shepherd will not stop until the killing ends." Whale Wars
Fridays at 9 PM e/p, starting November 7
Captain Paul Watson founded... more
AT Taiji, a quaint whaling town 700km south of Tokyo, waves lap against steep rocks of a popular national park. However, visitors are kept well away from the slaughter happening in a secluded lagoon nearby.
Japanese fishermen, backed by the country's government, are slaughtering thousands of dolphins off the coast, while ignoring both international protests and concerns over contaminated dolphin meat being sold to the public.
Between October and April, some 16,000 to more than 20,000 of the animals are killed in the annual hunt, in Taiji and other Japanese fishing towns, often cruelly stabbed with knives, hooks and lances.
The mass slaughter goes ahead with the backing of the government, but without the majority of the population being aware of it. Part of the marine mammals' flesh is sold in Japan, despite warnings of high-level mercury contamination, animal rights activists said.
"The dolphin meat is highly contaminated," dolphin activist Richard O'Barry said Monday. He sharply criticized Japan's government for keeping both the controversial slaughter and the contamination secret from the Japanese population.
One dolphin can fetch up to US$200,000 ($292,195), O'Barry said, adding that some of the survivors of this year's cull were destined for Germany. He urged the Switzerland-based World Association of Zoos and Aquariums to monitor its members and bar them from participating in the trade of animals caught in the Taiji hunt. Without international demand, the hunt would lose its allure.
Environmentalists accuse Japan of killing the dolphins and other small whales because they eat many fish. A part of the killed mammals is processed into pet food and fertilizer. Japan's government justifies the cull as part of the country's whaling tradition and food culture. Activists, on the other hand, argue that only about one per cent of the Japanese population eats whale meat, and say only a very small minority of those would consume dolphin meat.
"Most Japanese have never heard of it," said O'Barry. He warned against condemning the Japanese public as a whole for condoning the cruelty, as only a few people profit from the dolphin business. But he criticized the country's media, which keep mum about the annual slaughter, despite studies that showed the mercury content in dolphin meat to be higher than in fish from Minamata.
Like then, the Japanese government is now also covering up the issue, O'Barry said, calling Taiji was a new Minamata. After one lawmaker in the regional parliament of Taiji made the contamination public, dolphin meat was removed from school menus.
Yet he remains hopeful about being able to stop the killing soon. Activists secretly filmed a movie in the Taiji lagoons, which is to be presented in January 2009 at the Sundance Film Festival.AT Taiji, a quaint whaling town 700km south of Tokyo, waves lap against steep rocks of... more
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a rescue call Thursday morning after a woman was apparently struck by a jumping dolphin.
The incident was reported along the Intracoastal Waterway near the North Causeway in New Smyrna Beach.
Laura Hall and her boyfriend, Montie Henderson, were taking her visiting parents for a cruise on their boat when a dolphin jumped out of the water, landing on Hall's parents. The 8- to 9-foot dolphin missed the water and hit the 18-foot boat instead.
"Just before we got underneath the bridge, the dolphin, about 2 foot off the left side of the boat, jumped up in the air and slammed into them," said Henderson.
"It just jumped and it landed right in the boat, right on top of my parents," said Hall.
Witnesses were also in disbelief at what they had seen. "We all saw it jump right out of the water, and we're like, 'Oh my God ,are you all right? Are you OK?' It was like really crazy," said David Kop, a fisherman.
"I could see that they had a dolphin right on the front of the bow of their boat and it was flapping all over the place," said John Rice, a witness.
Barbara Howard, Hall’s mother, was knocked unconscious while Norman Howard, Hall’s father, was being hit by the dolphin’s tail.
"Well, my dad was getting beat up by the tail. My mom had her glasses on, and it kind of pushed her glasses up. She's got a couple of little cuts," said Hall.
Henderson then pushed the dolphin off the boat.
Barbara and Norman Howard have been treated for cuts and bruises and have been released from a hospital.NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a rescue call Thursday... more
The unique moment was captured by a photographer at the Oltremare Aquarium at Riccione in Italy.
Normally after a year-long pregnancy, captive dolphins give birth at night and away from the public gaze. The calf emerged tail first - so it does not breathe in water - and was able to see and swim immediately.
More pictures after the link...The unique moment was captured by a photographer at the Oltremare Aquarium at Riccione... more
