Splash Spring 2016

INSIDE!

HOW YOU CAN HELP CAPTIVE ORCAS

MEET THE WHALES AND DOLPHINS YOU ADOPT

YOUR VERY OWN WDC ADOPTION MAGAZINE

SPRING 16

PUZZLES !

FUN FACTS !

STORIES

G N I M A E DR TO BE

FREE

Let’s make a

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Get set for spring

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i everyone and welcome to SPLASH! Thank you all for supporting WDC and helping whales and dolphins.

In this issue, we look at the problem of keeping orcas in captivity and ask if it is right to keep such enormous, family-loving, free-spirited cetaceans in tanks? You can decide.

If you would like to earn a WDC special award for children like Saira or the Brownies (on the opposite page) did, you can! It’s called the Dolphin Diploma, and by completing the activities on our website at whales.org/dolphindiploma you will learn lots about endangered dolphins.

You can complete our Diplomas on your own or in a group at school, or even at Brownies, which could earn you your Friend to Animals badge at the same time!

This spring, you also might feel like getting out and about on your bike.

Why not help whales and dolphins by taking part in Charlie’s Cycle Challenge.

Turn to the back page and follow the link to hear all about it from Charlie himself. It would count towards your Diploma award too!

Until next time, Ali (and Zebedee, assistant editor and labradoodle)

GALLERY

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hank you to Carleta, Amy, and Caitlin for your excellent drawings. We always love to receive pictures of your favourite adopted whales and dolphins, so keep sending them in! Post them to us, or email them to splash@whales.org

Carleta Rousseau aged 9

Our address is Splash!, WD C Brookfield H ouse, 38 St Paul S treet, Chippenham SN15 1LJ We’re sorry but we aren’t able to return your art or photo s

Looking for inspiration?

Turn to page 7 to find out how to draw a dolphin!

Amy Calderbank aged 11 Caitlin Morrison aged 10

er’s Day Make your Moth

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ake mum feel extra special this Mother’s Day on 6 March with a great present from the WDC shop.

This little keepsake box with a mosaic dolphin is something that she would be sure to treasure!

Visit whales.org/shop for more fantastic gift ideas.

A quick question for you! What’s your favourite whale or dolphin and why? If you send or email a photo of yourself we’ll print your answers in Splash!

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THE THINGS YOU DO

Busy brownies

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embers of 4th Glenfield Brownies have been working very hard to earn their Dolphin Diplomas. The girls collected coins to make a spare change whale, created origami dolphins, tackled our quiz and had fun designing posters. Wonderful work!

Saira is a star

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ongratulations to Saira Younie who raised over £115 for WDC by holding a sponsored silence. Her astonishing fundraising helped towards her achieving a Dolphin Diploma, which was presented to her at the WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre. Well done!

Silence is golden

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he WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre was swarming with swashbucklers when they invited everyone to join the Spey Bay crew for Pirate Day. There was the chance to seek out pieces of eight in Blackbeard’s treasure hunt, join two captains spotting dolphins from

eet Izzy Hart, our sponsored silence champ, who kept completely quiet for six hours to raise money for WDC. Before becoming speechless she said: ‘I hope that I can raise as much money as possible to help protect these amazing and magnificent creatures.’

Shorewatch Hill, and even take part in a game of walk the plank from the depths of the ice house.

The award for bestdressed pirate went to William Peters, who was delighted to receive a brilliant treasure chest cake. Shiver me timbers!

Make sure you join us for Pirate Day 2016 on Sunday 14 August.

Recycle and win!

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DC and The Recycling Factory have teamed up to launch a competition where supporters have the chance to win a £20 Waterstones voucher by recycling printer ink cartridges.

To find out how to take part and all terms and conditions go to whales.org/recycle The competition closes on 5 April 2016 and the winner will be announced in the next issue of SPLASH!

DID YOU KNOW? North Atlantic right whales only give birth every three to four years.

They are one of the most endangered of the great whales with a worldwide population of fewer than 500 idividuals left

Spring 2016 SPLASH! 3 Spring 2015 SPLASH!

FIGHTING FOR ORCA FREEDOM

Here are the reasons why keeping orcas captive is wrong and why they should always live in wild open waters They can dive to depths of 180 metres E E R F E B O T (that’s more than seven lengths of a BORN

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rcas are big, strong, fast, energetic and very clever marine mammals. They are the largest members of the dolphin family, weighing up to ten tons (which is about the same as 145 people) and reaching almost 10 metres long. They can swim 100 miles in a single day (around the same distance as from Bristol or Birmingham to London).

swimming pool end to end). Orcas need a lot of space to live their lives!

Some of the things that matter most to them are family, friends and freedom. Just like us, they are very social and live in family groups. Their lives depend on other orcas. Mothers maintain lifelong bonds with their sons and daughters. They are long-lived; females can reach more than 90 years old and four or five generations can

live together – that’s child, mum, granny, great-grandma (you get the idea).

Orcas have enormous brains and are very intelligent. Mothers teach their offspring all they need to know to get on with others, stay safe and eat well. Orcas are chatterboxes and talk to each other constantly. Just like us, orcas have their own languages and dialects.

Wild orcas clearly love the open ocean and their wisdom, spirit and joy for life is obvious. Sadly, these are things a captive orca show can never show us.

WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE? Imagine you are an orca. Would you choose to live your whole life away from your family in a small empty tank, made to do the same tricks and eat the same food, every day? Or would you prefer to live, wild

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and free, with your family, hearing the natural sounds of the ocean, hunting and exploring incredible places together? It’s a bit like asking if you want to spend a few years locked in your bedroom all day long!

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TO SAY NO THANKS LIFE IN TANKS!

DID YOU KNOW?

to swim 1,400 An orca at SeaWorld would have tch the distance times around his or her tank to ma . wild orcas can swim in just one day

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rcas in captivity live unhappy, cramped, stressful lives, among strangers, or worse, completely alone.

They are forced to eat buckets of dead fish and take lots of medicine to survive.

Deprived of their freedom and natural marine homes, they suffer physically and emotionally.

They are separated from family and kept in tiny concrete tanks.

With little else to do, they swim in endless circles, and are forced to perform circus tricks to entertain people. The gigantic dorsal fins of males droop, often their teeth get damaged, they fight and hurt one another and some have even hurt their trainers… No wonder the average lifespan of captive orcas is so much shorter than those in the wild. And no wonder so many people believe captive orcas should be allowed to retire to ocean sanctuaries and if possible be released back to the wild where they belong.

HOW YOU CAN HELP?

TYSFJORD / SHUTTERSTOCK

Don’t buy tickets to SeaWorld or any other attraction holding whales and dolphins in captivity Tell your friends and family why they shouldn’t buy tickets Ask your teacher, your brownie or guide leader, or your cub or scout leader if you can do a talk for your class or group about ending captivity Send your orca drawings, poems, anticaptivity messages and stories to SPLASH! Complete your WDC whale/dolphin diploma at whales.org/dolphindiploma

A wild orca nicknamed ‘Granny’ is over 100 years old and still going strong!

rs and moved to Orcas are taken from their mothe ther-child bond is different parks. In the wild the mo together for life. the strongest of all and they stay

the wild remain Only 24 out of 151 orcas taken from in captivity is 2.5 times alive today. The average lifespan not live beyond their 20s. shorter than in the wild. Most do

AMAZING TALES No shows at SeaWorld

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eaWorld has announced that it will stop orca shows at its marine park in San Diego, California, by 2017. This is a result of growing public pressure to end captivity, as well as SeaWorld’s falling visitor numbers and plummeting profits. More and more people are now realising how cruel it is to keep orcas in small concrete tanks.

But SeaWorld’s announcement

may not be as good as it first seems.

The company has said that new shows will focus on more ‘natural behaviours’. It’s difficult to imagine what this really means for the 11 orcas held in the tanks in San Diego.

WDC will continue to campaign for captive orcas to be allowed to retire to ocean sanctuaries and possibly released back into the wild where they belong.

Baby business supports orcas

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unchkin, a leading baby product company in America, has partnered with WDC to launch a campaign called “Orcas Live in Oceans” to help end orca captivity.

They got off to a great start by pledging $1 million to help locate a site and build an orca ocean sanctuary for captive orcas if SeaWorld agrees to free Tilikum, one of its captive orcas.

Munchkin has sold an orca bath toy for many years, but has now decided to remove it from sale because “a bathtub just isn’t big enough for an orca.”

The company is also donating money from their product sales to help WDC’s anti-captivity work.

Watch Munchkin’s film about a young boy visiting the beach to set his orca free at bit.ly/MunchkinFilm

Bag rule benefits wildlife

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new law means that we now have to pay 5p for each plastic bag we use when doing our shopping in England.

This charge is already in place in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and encourages people to take their own reusable bags to the shops. It’s good news for marine 6 SPLASH! Spring 2016

wildlife because the number of whales and dolphins dying as a result of entanglement or swallowing plastic bags is increasing. Fewer bags being used means fewer will end up in the sea, threatening the lives of whales and dolphins.

RECORD BREAKERS

Dolphins have remarkable memories and can recognise their old friends’ whistles even if they haven’t heard them for more than 20 years!

DID YOU KNOW?

A whale’s baleen in its mouth is made of keratin, the same material as our skin and nails

Fun factory Games and puzzles with great prizes to be won! Please remember to include your name and address when sending in competition entries!

How to draw a dolphin

Follow these steps to create your very own bottlenose dolphin. Add some other sea creatures and ocean waves to your picture and send it to us!

How to draw a dolphin: copyright Art for Kids! For more activities visit ArtforKidsHub.com

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DID YOU KNOW? Risso’s dolphins have been seen in groups of up to 4,000!

SPLISH SPL& ASH Spring 2016 SPLASH! 7

Aquatic outlines

Crack the crossword

Look at the five shadows below and match them to the correct whale or dolphin

Across

Think you’re a whale and dolphin expert? Put yourself to the test by answering the following questions 3. Biggest animal in the world (4, 5) 5. Species of dolphin that lives in the Moray Firth, Scotland (10) 6. Group of mammals that whales and dolphins belong to (8)

Answers: Orca, Long-finned pilot whale, Minke whale, Short-beaked common dolphin, Risso’s dolphin

Down

1. Also known as a ‘killer whale’ (4) 2. WDC motto, ‘a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and ____’ (4) 3. Layer of fat that keeps whales and dolphins warm (7) 4. Another name for a tail fin (5) 1

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* Based on two adults and two children

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WIN!!!

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end us the correct answers and you and your family* could enjoy a fun filled day out at Landmark Forest Adventure Park near Aviemore in Scotland Cut along the dotted line and send this page to: SPLASH!, WDC, Brookfield House, 38 St Paul Street, Chippenham, SN15 1LJ. Or email your answers to: splash@whales.org by 5 April 2016

ANSWERS: Aquatic outlines 1. Long-finned pilot whale 2. Minke whale 3. Orca 4. Risso’s dolphin 5. Short-beaked common dolphin

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To find out more about the many wonderful whale and dolphin species, visit WDC’s Species Guide at whales.org/ species-guide

Humpback whale

A humpback whale migrated more than 9,800km from Brazil to Madagascar. That’s about a quarter of the way around the world!

DID YOU KNOW?

SCOTT PORTILLI

These energetic whales are known for their large size, knobbly head and 5m long flippers. The black and white markings on the tail are as unique as a human fingerprint, meaning experts can name thousands of humpbacks around the world!

Appearance

Humpbacks eat krill and small schooling fish. They sometimes herd their prey or create a trap by blowing air in a spiral of bubbles.

Fish cluster tightly inside these ‘bubble nets’, allowing the whale to swim through with its mouth wide open and gulp huge mouthfuls.

Food

The main humpback populations are found in the North Atlantic, the North Pacific and the Indian Ocean. There is some mixing between different populations and each has its own migration route. Generally, they spend the winter in warm, tropical waters.

During the spring, summer and autumn they will migrate to cooler waters.

Habitat

The scientific name for the humpback whale is Megaptera novaeangliae, which means ‘big-winged New Englander’ because of its extraordinarily long flippers that look like wings, and because it was first described in New England, USA.

Name

FACT FILE

Learning lab Species guide St Vincent and the Grenadines

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string of 32 islands dotted around the Caribbean Sea, St Vincent and the Grenadines is famous for its sandy beaches, dense tropical rainforests and exotic plants and animals.

People only live on nine of the islands but there’s certainly no shortage of whales and dolphins enjoying the clear blue waters here. From spinner and striped dolphins leaping out of the water, to plenty of spyhopping humpbacks, it’s the perfect destination for keen marine wildlife spotters.

As well as playing host to great performances from stars of the whale and dolphin world, film fans may be interested to know that scenes from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were filmed in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Sperm whale

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his incredible whale is one of the deepest diving mammals in the world and can reach depths of up to 2-3km in search of squid to eat. The sperm whale’s huge head, which is up to 1/3 of its overall body length, also houses the heaviest brain in the animal kingdom.

Amaze your friends Orca appetites

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rcas often hunt together and have developed inventive ways to catch their favourite food in different parts of the world.

Some only eat fish. Others hunt seals, sharks and rays, or even other whales and dolphins. Mothers 10 SPLASH! Spring 2016

ORCA PATAGON IA

teach their calves special hunting techniques and so this knowledge is handed down to other, younger family members.

Fish eaters Fish eaters

Resident orcas in Canada and America eat salmon.

Working together, they round them up or trap Did you know? Whales and dolphins don’t need to drink them against the shore.

because they get all the water they need from their prey!

Striped dolphin

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triped dolphins are extremely active on the water’s surface performing amazing acrobatics, including somersaults and huge breaches. They travel in groups, typically numbering anything from a few dozen to 500 dolphins, but groups numbering in the thousands are occasionally reported.

Green turtle

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ith its teardrop-shaped shell and large paddle-like flippers, the green turtle is perfectly adapted for life under the sea. Unlike many other turtles that only come ashore to nest and lay eggs, the green turtle can sometimes be seen clambering onto land to sunbathe. Adults are vegetarians feeding on sea grasses and algae.

Short-finned pilot whale

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he short-finned pilot whale, like the orca, is actually a member of the dolphin family and is very intelligent and sociable. Short-finned pilot whales have been found as far north as the coast of France, but more common places to see this species include the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and offshore islands off Northwest Africa.

They’ve even learnt to flush out the salmon that hide in crevices along the rocky shoreline.

Norwegian orcas hunt herring using a technique called ‘carousel feeding’.

They work together taking turns to swim in tight circles around the fish, blowing bubbles, flashing their white bellies and making sounds to frighten

the fish. The herring bunch together into a ball and are herded to the surface where there is no escape.

Orcas then strike and stun the fish with their tails and catch them as they fall.

Seal and sea

Seal and lionlion eaters sea ea

Orcas living around the Antarctic ice shelf target seals resting on ice floes

Ask Ali How do dolphins get marks on their dorsal fins?

Asked by 12-year-old Eddie

The pattern of nicks, notches and scrapes on a dolphin’s dorsal fin is unique, just like our fingerprints.

We use these patterns to identify individual dolphins and give them names like Rainbow, Moonlight and Spirit.

Nicks on the edge of their fins are caused in a variety of ways, such as dolphins playing or fighting with each other. Dolphins are very social, so this is the most common cause. Others may result from encounters with sharks or orcas, wounds left by parasites, collisions with boats, or injuries from fishing nets.

using a clever wave-wash technique. Orcas line up and charge the ice floe in tight formation, creating a huge wave which tips the seal into the water for them to eat.

Orcas in Argentina and the Crozet Islands use a risky technique to reach elephant seals and sea lions. They swim right up onto the beach, grab

one and then have to swing and heave their huge bodies back into deeper water.

Stingray eaters In New Zealand, orcas eat stingrays. They grab the tail and flip the ray upside down, which paralyses it, making it easy and safe eat. This works for hunting sharks too!

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Catch up with

Dolphin Diaries

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By Charli s p li il Ph

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ALL IMAGES: WDC/CHARLIE PHILLIPS

am happily still seeing the occasional dorsal fin when I’m out and about along the coast, searching for dolphins wherever they may be. I can’t always n identify individuals, as they are ofte the of one just too far away. This is few frustrating things about my job as a WDC field officer; the thought Seeking out salmon that one of the adoption dolphins might go past in the distance and pirit and a few I miss a chance to let you know how other mother-andthey are doing – but thankfully it calf pairs were doesn’t happen that often. spotted hunting fish Technology has come on in leaps close to the Dornoch and bounds since I started studying Firth, 25km north of the dolphins more than 20 years ago.

Cromarty Firth. It’s The quality, size and weight of another big estuary, binoculars, telescopes and, most where the river meets of all, cameras makes fieldwork less of a difficult task and more enjoyable. You can keep up to date with the dolphins I’m seeing and what they are up to on my blog whales.org/blog/charliephillips Turn to the back page of SPLASH! to find out how you can help dolphins by taking part in Charlie’s Cycle Challenge this spring, and watch my video all about it at whales.org/ charlieschallenge

Spirit

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the sea, and there has been an unusually late run of salmon heading towards the river mouth. I think that clever Spirit is seeking out the best fishing spots with her little one and some friends. I am

sure that I will see her back near Chanonry Point and Rosemarkie as soon as the winter herring here start to give way to the bigger, tastier salmon the dolphins seem to favour.

Kesslet

Cruising with Sundance

Cromarty Firth Chanonry Point

H IRT YF RA MO ER INN

Dornoch Firth Cromarty Nairn

Kessock Channel Inverness

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Spey Bay

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have spotted Kesslet a few times moving in and out of the Inner Firth area.

Sometimes she was travelling alone, but at other times with Zephyr and her calf, and with Bonnie and her calf. I also

watched Kesslet with her son, Charlie, in the Kessock Channel, taking advantage of an extremely late run of salmon heading from the sea to the river to lay their eggs.

Then, on my very last boat trip of the

season, I saw Kesslet and Sundance cruising along together. Kesslet was scaring gulls sitting on the water, something that she has enjoyed doing ever since she was little.

friends

Find out how your adopted whales and dolphins are getting on

Moonlight

On the move

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haven’t received any sighting reports of Moonlight and her calf for a little while. I think she is travelling and searching for new food sources outside the Inner Firth, probably interacting with other dolphins and enjoying a change of scenery. We know that Moonlight is a capable and independent dolphin, so it wouldn’t surprise me to find out that she has been south near Aberdeen with a new set of friends, and hopefully plenty of food.

However, with a bit of luck she will be back within my camera range soon.

Sundance

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Making a splash

spotted Sundance while I was at sea on a boat trip from Cromarty in the autumn. He was with Kesslet, Bonnie and her calf, and a few others, and they were splashing very close to the rocks near the South Sutor cliffs.

The water here is deep and the dolphins were searching for sea trout and other treats hiding around the

rocky reefs. They were travelling quite slowly, clearly searching thoroughly for snacks. When they headed into the Cromarty Firth, they vanished, as dolphins are brilliant at doing. I’m now looking out for Sundance around the Chanonry and Rosemarkie area as it shouldn’t be too long before he shows up looking for the first spring salmon.

Mischief

Hanging with a gang

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Back in the spring

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ainbow and her son, Indigo, have not been around this part of the coastline very much recently. They were spotted in the Cromarty Firth only a few days before I was there on a boat trip and I was sorry that I only just missed them. I’ll keep watching around the Inner Firth to

see if I can catch sight of them. After all, Indigo is really easy to spot. He’s very lively and normally leaping about in mid-air.

It shouldn’t be that long before they start to visit Chanonry again as the winter menu changes over to tasty spring salmon choices.

occasionally see Mischief around Rosemarkie Bay at this time of year, so I’m looking out for him.

Mischief is a big dolphin with a particularly distinctively shaped dorsal fin; it has a large wedge-shaped cut near the bottom.

He has been spotted with a group of around 15 dolphins travelling back and forth between Spey Bay and Nairn.

This group includes a few calves and it is likely to be the same social group Mischief has been hanging out with for a few months.

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Orca Odysseys

By Helena Symonds & Paul Spong

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eaWorld is under heavy pressure to stop keeping orcas in captivity. It’s taken far too long, but there’s definitely light at the end of the tunnel for captive orcas. SeaWorld has been forced by law to stop trainers

performing circus acts that had them flying into the air off the heads of leaping orcas. However, it’s obvious that to survive SeaWorld must end captivity entirely. OrcaLab is proud to be part of this wave of change. Our new video cameras enable us to share with people the rich lives of free orcas.

This could be good news for Corky, the orca who has been swimming in

Bend

ORCALAB

Three’s company

JARED TOWERS

Fife

Glad to be back

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imoom was part of an exciting once-in-a life-time event last autumn. A group of Southern orcas arrived here in the traditional Northern territory, which is extremely rare. But, what ‘blew our socks off’ was hearing them all! Both groups sharing the same space at the same time – unheard of! Vocal too! Where does Simoom fit into this story? Well, we spotted Simoom when her family popped up in Blackney Pass, behind the Southern and Northern orcas. Unlike the others, they were silent, so we hadn’t realised they were in the mix. As the groups headed towards Robson Bight, Simoom’s family vocalised and went to the rubbing beach.

The Southern orcas continued towards their home waters far to the south. We’ve been deep in thought about this event ever since!

ach autumn, the busy summer of orca sightings is replaced by more scattered activity. Winter brings shorter days and bad weather and so we have to get used to seeing and hearing the orcas less. Because of this, we were delighted when Fife and his group came back into Johnstone Strait several times during

S ER W O

to renew relationships and friendships. Last year their favourite meal of Chinook salmon was in good supply, which meant there was plenty of time for Holly to play and socialise. Fingers crossed we will see her over the winter too, as we did last year when her family came back to this area for a whole month stay. Historically, Holly’s pod, has been known to choose this area during the winter since the 1960s. It would be great to understand why!

Joining the party

November. Fife seemed playful and lively, and the orcas were obviously enjoying being back. Fife’s group didn’t make it easy for us to track them as they were often silent. Fortunately, Fife’s unmistakable fin lets us know he is around, even in silent mode. We hope that his visits will continue all winter long.

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olly and her family were regularly spotted and could certainly be heard during the summer, which is an especially busy and important social time of year for these orcas.

Summer get-togethers offer the whole orca community the chance

JARED TOWERS

unbreakable bonds and mothers are dedicated to taking care of their offspring. This little one will have Bend’s full attention until she gives birth to another baby.

This does not mean that the bond between this little orca and Bend will be diminished, but it will allow Bend the necessary space and time to nurse her newest baby.

JAR ED

thers get-toge g in y jo n E

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his photo shows Bend, her baby and tall brother, Blackney, swimming together. Bend’s little one is sandwiched between the adults with just the tip of the dorsal fin showing. This youngster, almost two now, has already learned that family is everything and will provide a place to belong to forever. Orca families have

Simoom

Holly

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circles in concrete tanks for 45 years and whose true home is the area near OrcaLab. If SeaWorld is smart enough to see the future, Corky could come home and be reunited with her family.

Humpback Headlines

By Regina Asmutis-Silvia

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ur WDC humpbacks have migrated all the way down to the warm waters of the Caribbean for the winter and their focus is to give birth to their calves and look for mates. Males will be singing;

breeding season as they rely on their blubber reserves, so it’s no surprise that they are hungry when they arrive back to the feeding grounds in the Gulf of Maine in the spring!

their songs are some of the longest and most complex of the entire animal kingdom! The exact reason they sing remains unknown, but most researchers agree it is a way for males to impress and compete for females.

Where do the male humpbacks get the energy for all this singing? From their blubber! Humpbacks can lose up to a third of their body weight over the

Reflection

Midnight

tted Super mum spo

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idnight is a female, so will not be singing in the Caribbean, but she may be looking for a mate or giving birth to a new calf while at the breeding grounds. Midnight’s last calf was born in 2014, so there is a good chance that she could be returning to the Gulf of Maine with a new baby in 2016.

Exciting news last year was the

Salt

identification of a humpback, who at first nobody recognised, until we worked out it was Midnight’s 2006 calf! It’s always fantastic to see young humpbacks survive and return successfully to their feeding grounds. Midnight’s 2006 calf will be officially named soon.

In this photo he or she is diving next to another humpback named Geometry.

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eflection has had at least four calves and we know this because we have seen her return to the rich feeding grounds in the Gulf of Maine four times with a baby at her side. Her last calf, a perfect miniature of herself, was born in 2014.

Life is especially tough for calves once they separate from their mothers and have to fend for themselves. So we were delighted to see Reflection’s most recent calf again the following summer. He or she looked active and healthy too, just like Reflection. We are all hoping that Reflection will give birth while in the Caribbean again this year and come back with a new baby!

ME GA N

DANICA WARNS

baby Could return with

Pregnant again?

Her last calf was born in 2014, so we believe there is a good chance that she could be pregnant and we are crossing our fingers that she will return to the Gulf of Maine with a new calf this year! Everybody will be looking out for her.

Pepper

ALEX BICKERS

LAINE MCCALL

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alt was seen swimming with several mother-and-calf pairs, including Freckles and her calf, during the summer whale-watching season. Salt may well have been helping other mothers out, as she is an experienced parent herself. Salt has returned from the breeding grounds, following a long migration, 13 times with a calf of her own.

ppearance Making a rea

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epper has successfully returned to the Gulf of Maine, with a calf stuck like glue to her side, 11 times so far! While most mothers only care for their calf for his or her first year, Pepper once kept her calf close to her and protected for a second year. Since Pepper gave

birth to a calf last year, it is unlikely that she will be returning with a new calf this spring; typically humpbacks give birth to calves every two or three years. Calving two years in a row has been recorded, though, and we know a whale named Istar who gave birth in 1988 and again in 1989!

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E L C Y C S ’ E I L R A H C CHALLENGE Spring is coming, and WDC Field Officer Charlie Phillips is excited to see and photograph the WDC adoption dolphins. To help the dolphins that Charlie keeps an eye on every day, he wants you to get on your bike!

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harlie’s Cycle Challenge will run for 10 days from 1–10 April 2016. Watch Charlie’s video and sign up now at

whales.org/charlieschallenge

PRIZE!

Our top fundraiser will receive a signed copy of Charlie’s fantastic new book. It’s filled with beautiful photographs of the wild dolphins of the Moray Firth

We’ll send you all the information you need to take part and a special badge to wear.

Editor Ali Wood SPLASH! is sent to all junior whale and dolphin supporters by WDC Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Brookfield House, 38 St Paul Street, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 1LJ Registered Charity No. 1014705 Tel 01249 449500 Email splash@whales.org Patrons John Craven; Monty Halls; Miranda Krestovnikoff; Michaela Strachan Published for WDC by Think Editor Alec Mackenzie Design Dominic Scott Sub Editor Andrew Littlefield Publisher John Innes Cover pic Glen McBeth Cartoons Glen McBeth Think, Suite 2.3, Red Tree Business Suites, 33 Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow G40 4LA Tel 0141 582 1280 www.thinkpublishing.co.uk WDC cannot guarantee the return of unsolicited articles, photographs, etc. Reproduction of articles is not permitted without approval. Opinions expressed in SPLASH! do not necessarily reflect those of WDC. COMPETITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS: SPLASH! competitions are open to residents of the British Isles, Eire and the Channel Islands, except employees of WDC, Think and their families, or any associated companies. SPLASH! will not share your personal details with third parties. Only one competition entry per person. Winners will be the first correct entries drawn after the closing dates. The editor’s decision is final. Entrants to SPLASH! competitions must be 14 or under. No purchase necessary. No responsibility can be taken for entries lost or damaged in transit. SPLASH! will not enter into any correspondence. Winners will be notified and their names and addresses available on request. No cash alternatives will be offered. The winner may be required to partake in media activity relating to the competition. Congratulations to the following winner from last issue – your prize is in the post! Lawrence O’Toole. Winners are picked at random from all correct entries. Remember to tell us what you think about SPLASH! by emailing splash@whales.org

16 SPLASH! Spring 2016