International Save the Vaquita Day 2018
July 7, 2018

Today is Save the Vaquita Day and the vaquita porpoises are in our thoughts more than ever. They have suffered horrific deaths and abuse at the hands of humans and are on the verge of extinction. Sea Shepherd works very hard and very courageously on behalf of the vaquita and we applaud their work today and every day. The plight of this porpoise is a lesson in what can happen to a species when they are under such constant attack. They not only suffer immensely, they also can't breed fast enough to replenish their numbers. They numbered approximately 657 in 1997, 245 in 2008, 59 in 2015, 30 in 2016 and possibly only 12 now. With a decrease of over 50% in only 11 years and then 50% decreases in just a year, it is clear that when a fragile population is still under attack that they can be driven to extinction very quickly. This is why we are fighting for North Atlantic and North Pacific right whales. They number about 430 and 35-50, respectively - with only about 100 females of breeding age in the North Atlantic and about 8 in the North Pacific, and various events (such as at least 18 deaths in the past year in the Atlantic) can add up very quickly and are devastating to such an endangered species. We are fighting to make sure that North Atlantic and North Pacific right whales do not end up in the bad situation that the vaquita is in. Please keep the vaquita in your hearts and minds and consider helping Sea Shepherd in their efforts to protect them.

For more info please visit: Sea Shepherd: Operation Milagro IV

Sources:
https://swfsc.noaa.gov/MMTD-vaquita/
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/only-12-vaquita-porpoises-remain-watchdog-groups-report/