Hope for the False Killer Whale around Hawaii

The NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) announced a victory: the Obama Administration has proposed putting Hawaii’s near-shore population of false killer whales on the endangered species list. The move came in response to our formal petition on behalf of the whales. Only some 150 of these magnificent marine mammals remain in the wild. Their numbers have plummeted over the past two decades as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals, a reduced food supply and injuries from fishing gear.”Endangered Species Act protections will give false killer whales a chance to survive, and will also help save their extraordinary habitat — the ocean oasis surrounding the Hawaiian Islands,” says Michael Jasny, senior policy analyst for NRDC’s Marine Mammal Protection Project. False killer whales, like the orcas they resemble, are members of the dolphin family and normally live in deep open water. The dwindling Hawaiian population is the only group on the planet known to make its home near land. Adults can reach 20 feet in length and up to 1,500 pounds. They are highly social creatures and form close bonds with other members of their pods, mating for decades.