Guest column by Kenneth W. LeVasseur Editors’ note: Kenneth W. LeVasseur, of Kaneohe, Hawaii, a dolphin intelligence and communication researcher for more than fifty years, with colleague Steven C. Sipman on May 29, 1977 released into the ocean two dolphins, Puka and Kea, who had been held at the University of Hawaii marine mammal laboratory, where […]
What do “rescued” beluga deaths signify for marine mammal captivity?
Sanctuary proponents square off against captivity defenders, as both sides invoke the name & teachings of Ric O’Barry CHICAGO, Illinois––Four of the 30 belugas evacuated from the defunct Marineland of Niagara in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, during July and August 2026 have died at their new homes, along with a fifth beluga who was […]
Paul Watson publicity stunt vs. Icelandic whaling so far gets little publicity
Eclipsed by solar eclipse, European Union negotiations, mink farm release, and even Reykjavik traffic REYKJAVIK, Iceland; PARIS, France––Paul Watson, 75, founder of the Paul Watson Foundation in 2022 after getting the boot from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society he founded in 1977, is counting on global publicity and outrage over the resumption of Icelandic whaling to […]
Icelandic “Ahab” Kristján Loftsson resumes vengeful quest to kill whales
Activists sank his battleships 40 years ago REYKJAVIK, Iceland––Kristján Loftsson, 84, chief executive of Hvalur, the last Icelandic whaling company, driven by an enduring thirst for vengeance against anti-whaling activists, on June 19, 2026 sent the last two whaling trawlers in Iceland out into the North Atlantic Ocean to kill a quota of as many as […]
Oh deer: Marineland belugas rehomed, but deer & elk allegedly slaughtered
Belugas likely to be rehomed, anyhow. Marineland history suggests not holding breath unless swimming underwater NIAGARA, Ontario––Tentative good news about the fate of animals left by the 2024 closure of Marineland at Niagara Falls was offset within a week by more of the frequent bad news about Marineland that has emerged since Ontario animal advocate […]
Alan Cooper & John Pippin, M.D., represented the range of animal advocacy
Both Alan Cooper & John Pippin, M.D. were felled by long struggles with debilitating illness It would be difficult to imagine two animal advocates with less in common than Alan Cooper and John Pippin, M.D., except that both were veterans of more than 20 years in animal advocacy on a variety of fronts, and died […]
Some Nordic people rally to save one whale; others rush to kill hundreds
Timmy the stranded but rescued humpback whale lived after release for about ten days BERLIN, Germany; WASHINGTON D.C.; OSLO, Norway; REYKJAVIK, Iceland––Contrasting and conflicting Nordic attitudes toward whales may never before have been more starkly evident than during the six-week drama preceding the May 2, 2026 return to the North Sea of Timmy the formerly […]
All the news, good & bad, about vaquitas, jaguars, & hippos, oh my!
Vaquita porpoises & a clouded jaguar seen alive, but Colombian environment minister wants to see feral hippos dead SAN FELIPE, Mexico; TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras; BOGOTA, Colombia––Recently reported good news about vaquita porpoises and jaguars, among the most endangered species in Latin America, was offset by the April 1, 2026 announcement by Colombian environment minister Irene Vélez […]
“Damn the whales! Full speed ahead!” Trump “God Squad” tells BP
Endangered Species Act override proceeds as expected WASHINGTON D.C.––The Donald Trump administration “God Squad” Endangered Species Act review panel on March 31, 2026 unanimously voted to “issue an exemption from the requirements of the ESA for all oil and gas exploration, development, and production activities associated with the outer continental shelf oil and gas program,” […]
Reports from Iran: perhaps world’s most officially animal-unfriendly nation
The Iranian people have never been hostile toward animals, but the Islamist government & the Revolutionary Guard are another matter TEHRAN, Iran; JERUSALEM, Israel––Animal advocates and rescuers on opposite sides of shooting between Iran and Israel report similar responses among the dogs and cats in their care since U.S. and Israeli forces jointly bombed targets […]