![]() ![]() (See pictures of the Taiji dolphin roundup.) The hunt takes place annually in the small Japanese village of Taiji from September to March and and was the subject of the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary The Cove. "Deeply concerned by inhumaneness of drive hunt dolphin killing," Kennedy said in a Tweet. The Taiji hunt, in which fishers herded an unusually large pod of 200 to 250 bottlenose dolphins into a netted shoreside bay, reportedly killing 42 dolphins, drew criticism from the likes of Caroline Kennedy, the new U.S. Other albino cetaceans-which include whales and dolphins-of note include "Migaloo," a white humpback whale that can be seen off Australia, and "Iceberg," a white killer whale first seen in the waters off Russia in 2012. The condition is seen across a very wide range of species and is due to genetic defects that inhibit the production of melanin, or skin pigment. Albinos are also more susceptible to diseases.Īlbinism is relatively unusual: Scientists estimate that albinism in mammals occurs in about one of every 10,000 births. Most albino alligators, for example, are taken by predators before they reach adulthood. ![]() "It was wrong on every level and just plain cruel."Īlbinos in the wild-which can be shunned by others in their group or make easy targets for predators-often don't survive. "It was wrong ethically, biologically, and in terms of management," she said. ![]() Naomi Rose, a dolphin and killer whale expert at the Animal Welfare Institute, said that despite assurances from the museum about the calf's safety, the young dolphin shouldn't be there in the first place: "Taking a dependent calf goes against every established conservation principle there is. The young albino calf proved attractive to Taiji's dolphin brokers, who sell captured dolphins from Taiji to marine parks across Asia and beyond.Īccording to the animal-protection group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which closely monitors the Taiji drive hunts, the albino was the first dolphin selected for capture and sale. "We know little about the effects of trauma stress on young marine mammals, but it seems likely that this calf was very stressed by the hunt and so could be at even greater risk," he continued, "especially since it was separated from its mother."Įfforts to reach the Taiji Whale Museum directly were unsuccessful.Īnimal advocates quickly dubbed the dolphin "Angel" in an effort to draw the world's sympathy to what they say is the brutality of dolphin hunting. "So the calf could survive, but that is certainly not guaranteed. "Calves that have stranded for various reasons have sometimes been nursed back to health by humans, but others have died," Kuczaj said. We will take good care of her."īut that may be difficult, according to Stan Kuczaj, director of the Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Laboratory at the University of Southern Mississippi. "She must have been protected by her mother and her mates. "Albinos stand out and tend to be targeted by predators," said Taiji Whale Museum Assistant Director Tetsuya Kirihata in a statement, according to some media reports. The dolphin, a female believed to be less than a year old, was part of the Taiji dolphin hunt that drew global media coverage and outrage from animal protection advocates. They are able to roll their tongue up like a straw to draw milk from their mothers teat without wasting large quantities of milk into the sea.A rare albino dolphin calf, rounded up in a dolphin hunt off of Japan earlier this month, is now on display at a Japanese whale museum, where experts say its long-term survival is in doubt. But again, baby dolphins have developed tools to overcome. Pushing one liquid into another liquid of different viscosities, uncontained is never going to make it easy. Rolling Tongue – You can probably imagine that trying to feed milk underwater, with no hands and a snout comes with a range of challenges. Once they have found their bearings and can easily find their mother, these hairs fall off. To help it find it’s mother and her teat for feeding, they are born with tiny hair and whiskers around their snout. Whiskers – When a dolphin calf is first born, it’s eyesight is very poor. This helps them keep an aerodynamic finish to their skin. As calves mature, they shed their outermost layer of skin every two hours. Skin Shedding – While skin shedding is something you might mostly associate with baby snakes or reptiles, baby dolphin calves do this too. Baby Dolphins Have Several Adaptions To Help Then Through The Early Stages ![]()
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