Why are dolphins endangered?
Dolphins face many threats including underwater oil and gas drilling, large-scale fishing methods, and marine pollution. Animal welfare and conservation charities like the WWF and WDCS help dolphins by protecting their marine habitat.
They promote alternative fishing methods that don’t catch dolphins by accident, and they campaign against oil and gas exploration in areas where dolphins live. Fishing and dolphin-watching trips are popular, but they can disturb dolphin habitats and lead to collisions with boats.
Education programmes show boat users and tour operators how to minimise disturbance to dolphins. Research is also important to dolphin conservationand many charities fund studies into dolphin behaviour so they can better understand how to protect them. You can help protect dolphins by donating to an animal welfare charity or adopting a dolphin.
