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Blue whale butchered in Iceland
Photographs taken by Sea Shepherd Global show Loftsson’s crew posing for photos next to the whale.

Conservationists call for action to protect endangered marine animal

An endangered blue whale has been illegally killed and butchered by an Icelandic whaling company for export to Japan.

According to Sea Shepherd Global, the whale is the 22nd endangered whale slaughtered by Kristján Loftsson’s commercial whaling company since 20 June 2018. Whilst the first 21 whales killed were endangered fin whales - which the Icelandic government has permitted - they do not have any legal authority to kill blue whales.

Photographs taken by Sea Shepherd Global show Loftsson’s crew posing for photos next to and on top of the whale, suggesting they were aware this was a rare blue whale. They also show Loftsson’s crew butchering the whale as though it was a fin whale to make it harder to locate during potential inspections.

A number of whale identification experts have since examined the photographs and said that the whale is without question a blue whale.

“While I can’t entirely rule out the possibility that this is a hybrid, I don’t see any characteristics that would suggest that,” commented Dr Phillip Clapham from Alaska Fisheries Science Centre. “From the photos, it has all the characteristics of a blue whale; given that - notably the colouration pattern - there is almost no possibility that an experienced observer would have misidentified it as anything else at sea.”

The Sea Shepherd foundation - an international marine conservation movement - is now appealing to the Icelandic authorities to prevent Loftsson from committing similar crimes. Robert Reid, Sea Shepherd UK’s chief operating officer, said:

“The crime committed against this iconic whale must be fully investigated by independent inspectors with DNA samples taken from all the whale meat and parts in storage at Loftsson’s whaling station and warehouses since the whale has been butchered and removed from view potentially to hide the evidence as Loftsson has no authority (even within Iceland) to kill a Blue whale.

“In addition, environmental DNA samples should be taken from whaling station equipment, surfaces and containers to look for Blue whale DNA in case the butchered parts have been removed to hide this latest atrocity.”

Image (C) Sea Shepherd Global

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.