California Bill Would End SeaWorld Killer Whale Shows

SeaWorld San Diego would have to end its killer whale shows and remove 10 orcas from their tanks under a bill inspired by a documentary blasting the marine park's animal welfare practices.

The California Assembly is holding its first hearing on AB2140 Tuesday morning. The bill's backers say killer whales are too large and intelligent for captivity, while SeaWorld says the animals are well treated and help conservation through research.

The 2013 film "Blackfish" blames attacks and deaths of SeaWorld trainers on the mistreatment of the animals, increasing their aggression. SeaWorld calls the film anti-captivity propaganda.

The bill by Democratic Assemblyman Richard Bloom also bans the import and export of orcas. Under his measure, SeaWorld could keep the animals it has in a larger sea pen until they die.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-bill-would-end-seaworld-killer-whale-shows-n74351

SeaWorld San Diego killer whale shows could end if new legislation passes

The popular US attraction has been criticised following allegations made in the documentary 'Blackfish'

KASHMIRA GANDER

Friday 07 March 2014

A US lawmaker in California has proposed legislation to stop killer whales performing at shows in the popular marine mammal park SeaWorld, in San Diego.

More than 4 million people each year visit the attraction, which has come under scrutiny following the release of the 2013 documentary Blackfish.

Assemblyman Richard Bloom said his decision was influenced by allegations made in the film.

Blackfish drew attention to how killer whales, or orcas, are treated at SeaWorld, where they are trained to perform tricks in live shows.

It also claimed that SeaWorld employees are not safe, and focused on trainer Dawn Brancheau, who died in Orlando, Florida.

During the incident in 2010, she was allegedly pulled into the pool by an orca called Tilikum and subsequently drowned.

Read on

Stench may be ebbing but battle brews again over seal-pupping barrier

by DAVE SCHWAB

Though foul smells at the Cove emanating from sea lion and bird droppings appears to have abated, the City Council is preparing to grapple Feb. 24 with another pinniped matter — the divisive issue of whether to prohibit public access to Children’s Pool Beach during harbor-seal pupping season.

Reports from lifeguards, District 1 City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner’s office and the La Jolla Village Merchants Association (LJVMA) indicate the problem with persistent foul smells from the Cove has subsided — at least for now.

However, it’s difficult to determine if that change can be attributed to a new weeks-old city policy allowing humans out onto the bluffs, discouraging marine mammal haul-outs, or whether it can be chocked up to seasonal factors like winter marine-mammal migration or natural tidal flushing.

Read more: San Diego Community News Group - Stench may be ebbing but battle brews again over seal pupping barrier

As many as 100,000 dolphins in one vast pod spotted off San Diego

March 2013. Joe Dutra, captain of a whale watching boat in San Diego, reported in February that he had seen a vast ‘super-mega pod' of dolphins covering an area 7.5 miles long and almost 6 miles wide and containing an estimated 100,000 dolphins. The entire group of dolphins appeared to be common dolphins.

Several thousand birds, seagulls, pelicans and others, were also in the area and there was a huge amount of bait activity which assisted in this feeding frenzy!

Captain Dutra said" In my past years in the fishing industry years ago I use to see massive schools of dolphins off the coast of Central and South America, but nothing like this. This was a once in a life time experience. Truly Amazing!"

Images courtesy of Hornblower Cruises 

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/dolphin-mega-pod.html

Girl Falls Into Deadly Snake Pit - And Survives

A Californian teenager has survived falling into a rattlesnake pit where she was bitten six times.

Vera Oliphant, 16, inadvertently fell into the nest, in a rural area just outside San Diego, while searching for reception to phone her mother.

One adult and six baby rattlers bit her and their venom immediately took hold of her body.

She managed to make it to her uncle's house nearby and he immediately drove her to hospital.

Speaking for the first time since the incident, she told ABC News she felt lucky to be alive.

"I was feeling numb and paralysed. I had black vision and I saw bubbles," she said.

"It felt like needles were stabbing me... it burned so hard and it felt like a bomb just exploded in me. It's really hard to describe."

Vera went into anaphylactic shock twice and lost consciousness four times during the ordeal.

She says the fast reactions of her uncle and staff at the Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa saved her life.

Doctors there administered 24 does of anti-venom and kept her in intensive care for four days.

David Oliphant, the teenager's father and also an occupational nurse, told ABC News: "I am used to dealing with patients, but when it’s your own daughter it's different."

Vera is planning to return to school next week. She said the next time she has reception problems she will learn from this mistake.

"Be careful where you step," she advises. "If you don't need to, just wait until you are somewhere that you can call people."


http://uk.news.yahoo.com/girl-falls-deadly-snake-pit-survives-131443551.html

40 Blue whales sighted off San Diego coast

Among one of the largest groupings of whales ever sighted in the area 
August 2012. One of the largest recorded sightings of Blue whales off the coast of San Diego has been spotted by veteran aerial photographer and marine biologist Eddie Kisfaludy.

About forty Blue whales whave been sighted swimming in waters 15 miles west of La Jolla. Kisfaludy spotted the aggregation while flying a fixed wing aircraft conducting surveys for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Sportfishing Association of California.

40 Blue whales and 6 Fin whales
"A population of about 40 Blue whales and a half dozen Fin whales were spotted between 15 and 25 miles offshore San Diego from the Coronado Islands up to La Jolla.," stated Kisfaludy.

The world's largest poo
Peak migration season occurs during the summer months off the Southern California coast. Blue whales can grow as much as 100 feet in length, and as the largest mammals on Earth, Blue whales leave behind something well, a little less glorious. The biggest poo on Earth? Definitely.

These Blue whales have been feeding off massive amounts of krill, the main staple of their diet, while traveling in these waters. Their poo is easy to spot from the air; it's the same bright orange colour as the krill they digest.

Oceans Aloft
Oceans Aloft LLC provides aerial field support, photography and filming for oceanography and cimematography projects including biological collection, specimen transport, documentary filming, and surveying. Kisfaludy is President of Oceans Aloft and holds a degree in Biology from San Diego State University, is an FAA Pilot, and a Professional Association of Diving Instructors Dive Master. Kisfaludy oversees shipboard and submersible operations of Virgin Oceanic, and has served on--‐screen for The Discovery Channel, National Geographic's "Shark Men" and other science--‐based programming. Kisfaludy is based in San Diego, California.

More about Oceans Aloft 

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/blue-whales-40.html#cr

Duck Gets Fitted For Surf Booties

When it comes to walking around on their own webbed feet, ducks are just ducky. But one quacker in San Diego, Calif., was recently fitted for his own pair of purple neoprene surf booties.

The fashion-conscious fowl came about his new foot attire by happenstance, according to Yvonne Cruz, the co-owner of Surf 'N' Sea Custom Wetsuits, which is located near the shore in San Diego's Ocean Beach neighborhood.

"There's a young lady here named Miss Love who has a pet duck named Duckie," Cruz explained to HuffPost Weird News. "She walks it on the beach with a leash and puts duct tape on its feet to protect it from the hot sand."

However, things weren't so ducky after several people complained to lifeguards about the makeshift duct tape shoes.

"They thought it was cruel because they thought the sticky tape would hurt the duck when it was removed from his feet," Cruz said.

Luckily for the duck's owner, she walked by Cruz's shop, which has made a niche for itself creating offbeat wetsuits.

"We do a lot of wetsuit tuxedos and we once designed a wetsuit for a torpedo," she said, quickly adding, "But that was for shipping, not for war."


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/18/duck-gets-fitted-for-surf-booties_n_897647.html#s311126&title=Spermsniffing_Police_Dog