Orcas: Top news
VIDEO: 30 years ago, Jen MaHarry designed the iconic "Free Willy" movie poster, showing Willy jumping over a breakwater to freedom. Jen recently designed a wonderful new design for our campaign to retire the remaining captive orcas to seaside sanctuaries.
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We are deeply saddened at the death of orca whale Tokitae. Calls for her release were denied for decades and it’s shameful that she never got a chance to go home.
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Dave Phillips, Executive Director of the International Marine Mammal Project, talks to BBC radio about Keiko and his return to his home waters in Iceland, and his legacy for ending captivity for cetaceans.
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Soon, SeaWorld will have the only captive orcas in small tanks in North America. It is time they began retiring these orcas to seaside sanctuaries.
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Our Spanish version of Hannah Hindley's essay on Keiko, "Free Willy," and the closing chapter of captive orcas in North America.
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Hannah Hindley's full essay on Keiko, "Free Willy", and the need for retiring remaining orcas in captivity to seaside sanctuaries.
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There are many things SeaWorld SHOULD do for captive whales and dolphins in their care. Notably, they should retire these intelligent, sentient beings to seaside sanctuaries. Now is the time to take action.
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Keiko came home to the wild waters of Iceland -- and he loved it. But his legacy lives on, as captivity for orcas in North America is phased out. But more needs to be done to retire the remaining captive orcas to seaside sanctuaries.
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Part 2 of our report looks at the impact of the documentary "Blackfish" and the successful efforts by the International Marine Mammal Project to end SeaWorld's breeding, imports and exports of orcas, making the current generation the last orcas in captivity in North America.
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30 years ago, the movie "Free Willy" was a huge hit. The plight of its orca star, Keiko, touched the public along with the moving story. Read how the International Marine Mammal Project took that spark of concern and returned Keiko to his home waters. SeaWorld and other captive dolphin parks would never be the same!
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Campaign Top News
- International Marine Mammal Project >
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From pushing for sanctuaries for Wikie & Keijo and 30 beluga whales, to opposing attempts to gut the Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts, to protecting wetlands in the Barataria basin, the International Marine Mammal Project has accomplished a great deal in 2025 for whales and dolphins.
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What is it like being a student intern at the International Marine Mammal Project? An internship can be life-changing for a student. Our intern Jillian talks about her experience with IMMP.
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From battling the whaling industry in Japan and Iceland, to exposing the continued slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan, to saving the lives of tens of thousands of dolphins annually through Dolphin Safe tuna, the International Marine Mammal Project has accomplished a lot in 2024.
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- Save Japan Dolphins >
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The Taiji dolphin drive hunts have again ended, killing hundreds of dolphins for meat after removing "show quality" animals for a miserable life in captivity. Numbers were slightly higher this year for slaughter, although historically low compared to recent years.
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Three species of dolphins have been captured and slaughtered over the past month as the bloody Taiji dolphin drive hunts continue. Most of the dolphins you see in these photos are now dead. The hunts end on March 1st, but six months later, they will begin again.
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A former dolphin trainer explains the damage done by dolphin and small whale captures in Taiji, Japan. Learn the facts about how the aquarium industry sources wild dolphins for a lifetime of misery in small concrete tanks.
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- Dolphin + Whale Project >
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The Trump administration's proposals to remove speed limits to avoid ship strikes on right whales would set the species on the road to extinction. The International Marine Mammal Project joins our colleagues in denouncing this proposal and urging stronger measures to protect the endangered right whales.
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In the North Atlantic right whale habitat, speed zones slow vessels to prevent ship strikes on these endangered species. Now the Trump Administration is trying to end those speed zones in favor of unproven and limited technological alternatives. We need to stop this proposal to avoid right whale extinction.
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A true environmental crime: A group of Trump officials convened as the so-called "God Squad" to exempt the endangered Rice's whale and sea turtles from ESA protections against oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The Extinction Committee is a better name for this shameful group.
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- Keiko Whale Rescue >
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Like most cetaceans, beluga whales do poorly in captivity. Many are now kept in aquariums around the world -- some get stranded once the aquarium or park goes broke and shuts down. Learn about the beluga whale, and why it is a bad idea to keep them in small concrete tanks.
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We are deeply saddened at the death of orca whale Tokitae. Calls for her release were denied for decades and it’s shameful that she never got a chance to go home.
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30 years ago, the movie "Free Willy" was a huge hit. The plight of its orca star, Keiko, touched the public along with the moving story. Read how the International Marine Mammal Project took that spark of concern and returned Keiko to his home waters. SeaWorld and other captive dolphin parks would never be the same!
- More Stories >
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- Dolphin Safe Fishing >
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The US is now the biggest importer of seafood in the world, but the sustainability of many of the fisheries involved is highly questionable. The experience with the Dolphin Safe tuna label can help form better monitoring and protection for fish populations, as well as protect non-target species like marine mammals.
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Every year, we estimate that the Dolphin Safe label on tuna cans saves the lives of 90,000 dolphins annually in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, and many more in other oceans of the world. You, as a consumer, should know how the Dolphin Safe label works to protect dolphins in global tuna fisheries.
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A new Marine Mammal Protection Act has been proposed for the Philippines, with strong support from our IMMP Philippines office, with the support of Representative Co. Read about this new legislation to protect endangered species like the Irrawaddy dolphin and other Filipino whales and dolphins.
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- Freeing Orca Whales from Captivity >
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The orcas Wikie and her son Keijo are still trapped in Marineland in France. Marineland wants the orcas to go to Loro Parque Zoo, an aquarium in Spain with one of the worst records of captive orca deaths. IMMP is urging the French government to instead retire Wikie and Keijo to a seaside sanctuary in Nova Scotia.
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Captivity in small concrete aquarium tanks is hard and often fatal for whales and dolphins. Dr. Lori Marino and her colleagues have laid out the issues for cetaceans in captivity in a new scientific article, building a powerful scientific case for ending captivity for whales and dolphins.
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Four captive orcas died in their concrete tanks in 2025, never to see or feel the ocean ever again. This tragic death march will continue until all captive cetaceans are retired to seaside sanctuaries. Learn about Katina, Kshamenk, Earth, and Kamea -- all dead.
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- Freeing Wikie & Keijo >