Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), formerly Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society in the UK, is a wildlife charity that is dedicated solely to the worldwide conservation and welfare of all

whales Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...

dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (t ...

and porpoises ( cetaceans). It has offices in the UK, North America, Germany and Australia.

History

WDC was established in the UK in 1987. Its headquarters are in Chippenham in Wiltshire, UK. Until late 2012, it was known as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. Mike Bossley established the Australian Dolphin Research Foundation, which was the precursor to the Adelaide branch of WDC Australasia. He was WDC's Manager of Science and Education in Australasia until his retirement in June 2015, after 12 years of working with the organisation. After retirement, he stayed on as a part-time consultant, devoting his time to the New Zealand dolphin campaign.

Description

Today it is a leading NGO solely dedicated to the protection of cetaceans and their living environments. WDC operates worldwide with offices in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

, Germany;

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

; Argentina;

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, UK; and

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, United States. WDC is a founding partner of the

Convention on Migratory Species The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, also known as the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) or the Bonn Convention, is an international agreement that aims to conserve migratory species throughout their r ...

(CMS, also known as the

Bonn Convention The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, also known as the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) or the Bonn Convention, is an international agreement that aims to conserve migratory species throughout their r ...

), which is part of the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...

. The organisation also develops regional protection agreements and conventions and closely cooperates with the

orca The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...

(killer whale) research station OrcaLab in British Columbia, Canada.

Wildlife visitor centre

The flagship Scottish Dolphin Centre is based at the mouth of the

River Spey The River Spey (Scottish Gaelic: Uisge Spè) is a river in the northeast of Scotland. At it is the eighth longest river in the United Kingdom, as well as the second longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is important for salmon fishi ...

on the southern shore of the Moray Firth on the east coast of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

.WDC Wildlife Centres
/ref> On the north side of the Firth lies

Chanonry Point Chanonry Point ( Scottish Gaelic: ''Gob na Cananaich'') lies at the end of Chanonry Ness, a spit of land extending into the Moray Firth between Fortrose and Rosemarkie on the Black Isle, Scotland. Lighthouse An active lighthouse situated at ...

which is reputed to be one of the best spots in the UK to view bottlenose dolphin (''Tursiops truncatus'') from the land.

References

External links

*
Cetacean Habitat websiteACCOBAMS websiteASCOBANS websiteDeclaration of rights for cetaceans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whale And Dolphin Conservation Animal charities based in the United Kingdom Cetacean research and conservation Environmental organisations based in the United Kingdom Environmental organizations established in 1987 International environmental organizations Organisations based in Wiltshire 1987 establishments in the United Kingdom

History

Description

Wildlife visitor centre

See also

References

External links