Help WWF's Efforts to Protect the World's Whales and Dolphins!

[Alan Sondheim]

Title: World Wildlife Fund

Having trouble reading this email? View it online. Saving the Oceans' Whales & Dolphins... Bottle-Nosed Dolphins WWF-Canon / Gustavo YBARRA Dear Alan, Whales and dolphins are some of the oceans' most beloved and important inhabitants. They are warm-blooded mammals that range in size from the tiny Maui's dolphins to the enormous blue whale - the largest animal ever to have lived on earth! Together whales, dolphins and porpoises make up a group of animals known as cetaceans, and they serve as flagships for the health and well-being of the whole marine ecosystem. But whales and dolphins are currently facing a new series of threats in our seas, and we need your help today to protect these amazing animals. Donate Today to Protect the World's Cetaceans! Southern Right Whale WWF-Canon / Michel GUNTHER In the 1800's whaling was a major industry in the U.S. and around the world as whales were hunted for their oil. Many species of whale were driven to the edge of extinction in this time. Most notably among these was the right whale, so named because it was the "right whale" for whalers to kill, since it was slow moving and floated after it was killed. Today it is still trying to recover from the effects of the whaling days. However, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) placed a global moratorium on whaling in 1986 that was supported by WWF which has helped many species to begin to recover from this devastation. But this moratorium has made it so that whaling is no longer the #1 threat that whales and dolphins face today. What is the threat today? This Hector's Dolphin calf drowned after becoming entangled in a fishing net WWF-Canon / Stephen DAWSON Even though some member countries of the IWC want to lift the global moratorium on whaling--a moratorium WWF fights to keep in place--the real threat that whales and dolphins face today is entanglement in fishing gear and nets as well as accidental boat collisions. Some data suggest that more than 300,000 cetaceans are killed every year as "bycatch" after being entangled in fishing gear. And the large whales are subject to collisions with large boats when they come up for air. Remember the right whale that was trying to recover from the effects of whaling? Well, in the 1990s alone, 90 percent of non-natural right whale deaths were the result of ship strikes. If nothing is done, we could see the loss of several species of whales and dolphins in the coming years. But something is being done. WWF is working to protect whales from these new threats. WWF worked with the government of Canada to move the commercial shipping lanes away from the right whale feeding grounds, thus reducing the risk of ship collisions by 80 percent. WWF also created the International Cetacean Bycatch Resource Center which conducts research and training in areas with the most severe bycatch problems, and works with fishermen to develop cetacean-safe fishing techniques. In the Gulf of California, WWF has worked with the Mexican government to phase out gillnet fishing in the area where vaquitas--a dolphin so rare and seculsive that it has almost never been photographed in its natural habitat--still survive. Tail, or fluke, of a blue whale in the Gulf of Corcovado, Chile Rodrigo Hucke-Gaete / 2005 And in southern Chile, WWF is working with local partners to help create a marine and coastal protected area in Gulf of Corcovado which will protect a blue whale calving ground that was recently discovered there. In addition, this marine protected area would also contribute to protecting the Chilean and Peale's dolphins, southern fur seals, sea otters, and countless other marine species that make their homes there. Your support today will help to protect whales and dolphins from threats like accidental bycatch and ship collisions. WWF has long been a leader in the scientific research that has discovered the major threats to cetaceans, as well as a strong proponent of putting in place the solutions to these problems. With your help there is so much more we can accomplish to protect these incredible cetaceans. Bottle-nosed Dolphin WWF-Canon / Chris Martin BAHR Every dollar you contribute today makes us that much more effective in protecting and preserving the world's whales and dolphins, so please be as generous as you are able. And if you donate $50 or more, you'll receive a FREE limited-edition dolphin plush to serve as a reminder of the important conservation work you support. Dolphin Plush This FREE limited-edition Dolphin Plush is yours with a $50 donation! More Free Gifts Available with Your Donation to Protect Whales & Dolphins! Did You Know?... The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived and can weigh up to 160 tons - the equivalent of 32 elephants! The humpback whale's song--an enchanting series of whines, squeals, squeaks, moans and hums--may go on for 30 minutes or more! When populations of the larger whales became seriously depleted, with several species close to extinction, the attention of whalers turned to minkes - the smallest of the great whales. The Maui's dolphin--the world's smallest and rarest marine dolphin--is found only in New Zealand and there are thought to be only about 100 left. Sperm whales can dive more than 3,000 feet--about two-thirds of a mile--and can hold their breath for about an hour at a time.

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