Whales and other cetaceans

Humpback whale swimming tours set to begin off WA's Ningaloo coast - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) : Tours giving people the chance to swim with humpback whales are to be trialled in Western Australia next year after the success of a similar program with whale sharks at Ningaloo Marine Park. The trial will give people the opportunity to get up close with humpback whales at Coral Bay and Exmouth, Environment Minister Albert Jacob announced. Tours allowing people to swim with humpback whales are hard to come by, with only a handful of places offering the experience. "It's very rare," Mr Jacob said. "I'm only aware of three other jurisdictions that offer it — Mexico, Tonga and Queensland are the ones I know of." The tours in Queensland  are being offered for a second year . The humpback whale was previously an endangered species on the West Australian coast, but Mr Jacob said since the end of commercial whaling in the 1960s, conservat...

Rescued pregnant bottlenose dolphin returned to ocean after miscarriage - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) : "A pregnant dolphin that washed up on a south-east Queensland beach has been released back into the wild, but has lost her unborn calf. The offshore bottlenose dolphin, nicknamed Sandy, washed up at Cape Moreton on the northern-most tip of Moreton Island on September 2. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rescuers took the animal to Sea World, where she spent seven weeks in intensive care and rehabilitation. Sea World director of marine science Trevor Long said when she was found, the dolphin was in poor condition and in the early stages of pregnancy." 'via Blog this'

Dolphins suspected in whale attack off Skye - BBC News : Marine wildlife experts believe dolphins attacked a young pilot whale which was found stranded on a beach in Skye. Vets had to put down the badly injured three-year-old female calf, which was discovered on Tuesday at Dunvegan. Teeth marks were found on the whale's body, flippers and dorsal fin. The Scottish Marine Animals Stranding Scheme and Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) suspect the calf was attacked by bottlenose dolphins. 'via Blog this'

The use of nets to prevent sharks reaching beaches is common in New South Wales. But there is one unfortunate side effect of preventing swimmers and surfers - whales are regularly the innocent victims. Humpback whale calf freed from netting on New South Wales South Coast - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) : A humpback whale calf has been rescued near Batemans Bay on the New South Wales South Coast after an extensive operation by Parks and Wildlife. The whale, still being protected by its mother, was spotted on Monday, however bad weather caused a rescue attempt to be aborted. The pair was relocated further south, near Narooma on Tuesday afternoon. "There was the good fortune for the support vessel which was out first thing yesterday morning ... They were able to relocate the entangled calf with its mother," Lawrence Orel from Parks and Wildlife said. "[They] were still quite close to shore, which was very helpful." Mr Orel said the whale wa...

From The Independent : Image of feeding whale wins photography prize An image of a giant whale feeding on a swirling ball of fish has won the “underwater” category of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The prize-winning photographer, announced last night at the Natural History Museum in London, was Sydney-based Michael Aw for his picture of a Bryde’s whale just after it had taken a giant gulp of sardines off South Africa’s Eastern Cape.

SeaWorld barred from breeding whales in captivity - BBC News : "Californian authorities have prohibited SeaWorld from breeding animals in captivity, calling into question the future of the park's popular killer whale attraction. The ruling by the California Coastal Commission came after a request by the San Diego aquarium to build new tanks for its orcas. In a statement SeaWorld said it was "disappointed" with Thursday's ruling." 'via Blog this'

Whales bask under Northern Lights in Norway - BBC News : 'via Blog this'

Whales bask under Northern Lights in Norway - BBC News : 'via Blog this'

Pod of whales capsizes tinnie off Fraser Island, man taken to hospital - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) : "A man has been left with a broken leg after a pod of whales capsized his tinnie in waters off Queensland's Fraser Island. The man, in his 40s, was whale watching with friends when the pod swam past causing waves that flipped the boat." 'via Blog this'