The Whale Sanctuary Blog

How to Welcome a Whale to Sanctuary

What will it be like for a whale arriving at the sanctuary after a lifetime spent in a small concrete ...

Posted November 15, 2024 in News

For Wikie and Keijo, a Fork in the Road Ahead

As Marineland Antibes prepares to close its orca exhibit, two possible futures await the mother and son orcas.

Posted November 8, 2024 in News

The Honourable Murray Sinclair: 1951-2024

We are saddened to hear of the passing of the Honourable Murray Sinclair, the Anishinaabe senator, judge and leader in ...

Posted November 5, 2024 in News

Whales, Waves & Buoys

How the new Wine Harbour buoy will help ensure a safe environment for whales at the sanctuary.

Posted October 31, 2024 in News

Jane Goodall, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Sylvia Earle Endorse Sanctuary for French Orcas

A letter to the Minister for Ecological Transition, Energy, the Climate and Risk Prevention re. the future of the mother-and-son ...

Posted October 29, 2024 in News

French Government Prioritizes “Well-being” of Captive Orcas Wikie & Keijo

In its report, the French government emphasizes the well-being of the whales as the primary consideration in its recommendations as ...

Posted October 10, 2024 in News

For Wikie & Keijo, Whale Sanctuary Project Is “Most Credible Innovative Solution”

French government inspectorate says Whale Sanctuary Project is best sanctuary solution for captive orcas at Marineland Antibes.

Posted October 3, 2024 in News

Hvaldimir – Beloved Whale Is Found Dead

Hvaldimir, the beloved beluga whale who escaped from captivity in Russia and made a new life for himself, was found ...

Posted September 10, 2024 in News

What It Takes and How You Can Help

We are now seeking funds for both the capital expenditures for construction of the sanctuary and the operations to get ...

Posted June 13, 2024 in News

A Global Movement Is Born

This year, we have been in contact with several groups and organizations that are seeking to create cetacean sanctuaries. And, ...

Posted June 12, 2024 in News

The Urgent Need of Beluga Whales around the World

Beluga whales in Canada, South Korea, Taiwan and beyond need sanctuaries as urgently as orcas. We have already held discussions ...

Posted June 10, 2024 in News

Site Geography & Environment Analyses

Since selecting Port Hilford Bay as the location for the sanctuary in 2020, we have conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative ...

Posted June 9, 2024 in News

The Accelerated Plan and Bay Pen

Second in a series of posts about the urgent need of two orcas at Marineland Antibes in France –  Wikie ...

Posted June 4, 2024 in News

Hope for a Family in Distress

This is the first in a series of posts about progress in our work at the sanctuary site in the ...

Posted June 4, 2024 in News

World Ocean Day in Sherbrooke NS

How our enthusiastic group of local volunteers mounted a delightful World Ocean Day celebration at the Whale Sanctuary Operations & ...

Posted June 3, 2024 in News

Dr. Jane Goodall Presses for Orcas in France to Be Retired to Sanctuary in Nova Scotia

In a letter to the French Government, Dr. Jane Goodall has strongly endorsed the Whale Sanctuary Project's proposal for the ...

Posted March 31, 2024 in News

The Passing of Inouk

Once again, we note the premature passing of an orca at a marine entertainment park: today it is Inouk at ...

Posted March 28, 2024 in News

Bringing Wikie, Keijo & Inouk to Sanctuary

In response to the urgent need of three orcas held in Marineland Antibes, a French marine entertainment park, the Whale ...

Posted March 27, 2024 in News

Remembering Steven M. Wise

Steven M. Wise, the founder of the Nonhuman Rights Project, was a groundbreaking legal scholar whose historic cases on behalf ...

Posted February 19, 2024 in News

Bill Reintroduced to U.S. Congress to Bring an End to Public Display of Captive Whales

The Strengthening Welfare in Marine Settings (SWIMS) Act would end the future capture and breeding of whales for public display.

Posted February 5, 2024 in News

One Voice and the Whale Sanctuary Project Propose Collaboration with Marineland Antibes to Retire Three Orcas to Sanctuary

A fully cooperative effort among staff and management of all parties is key to a successful outcome for Inouk, Wikie ...

Posted February 2, 2024 in For the Media, News

The Passing of Two Orca Calves Prompts a Moment for Reflection

The death of two newborn orcas reminds us of the difference between a natural free-ranging life and one spent in ...

Posted January 31, 2024 in News, Opinion

The Whale Who Defected

Hvaldimir, the beluga whale who defected from the Russian navy. An insightful article from The New York Times tells his ...

Posted January 17, 2024 in News

A Tale of Two Baby Orcas

“It’s a boy!” newspapers on the West Coast exclaimed when photos from biologist Maya Sears, taken in the Salish Sea, ...

Posted January 9, 2024 in News, Opinion

In Memory of David Reuben

This week, we received the sad news that David Reuben, one of our most generous and committed supporters, has passed ...

Posted December 21, 2023 in News

Update on Results of the ESA III Study and Laboratory Analysis

These studies of sanctuary waters, sanctuary lands on shore and submerged soils in the ocean will help us chart a ...

Posted December 5, 2023 in News

How We Can Give Sanctuary to the Whales Who Cannot Wait

The loss of yet more orcas and beluga whales at entertainment parks this year means we can no longer work, ...

Posted November 27, 2023 in News

Tokitae’s Necropsy

Having reviewed the results of the orca Tokitae's necropsy, as released to the Miami Seaquarium by the University of Georgia ...

Posted October 17, 2023 in News

Diving into the Final Environmental Site Assessment

On July 24th, a team of divers assembled at the sanctuary site in Port Hilford Bay, Nova Scotia, to conduct ...

Posted September 23, 2023 in News

Tokitae the Orca’s Legacy

For everyone following the progress of the Tokitae over the past year, the news of her sudden death, last week, ...

Posted August 23, 2023 in News

Tokitae the Orca Has Passed Away

Over the last two days, Toki started exhibiting serious signs of discomfort. Despite receiving the best possible medical care, she ...

Posted August 18, 2023 in News

After Second Death This Year, Russian Aquarium Renounces Use of Captured Orcas

In the wake of two young captive orcas dying so far this year at the Moskvarium Aquarium in Moscow, the ...

Posted July 3, 2023 in News

Professional Standards Published for Whale & Dolphin Sanctuaries

Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries publishes best practices for cetacean sanctuaries. The guidelines are the product of a pioneering collaboration ...

Posted June 28, 2023 in News

Taking a Dive at the Sanctuary Site

Alexandra's first in-water field survey to advance our understanding of key areas in sanctuary waters and to identify species of ...

Posted June 5, 2023 in News

Historic Initiative to Return Orca Lolita to Home Waters

The Miami Seaquarium has entered into an historic and legally binding agreement with the nonprofit organization Friends of Lolita to ...

Posted March 30, 2023 in News

How Kiska’s Death Can Be Given Meaning

Kiska the orca has died at Marineland. But her tragic death can still have meaning if we rally together to ...

Posted March 16, 2023 in News