Ocean Friends
Box 3117 V6B 3X6 Vancouver, BC, Canada

A Reminder: A Laugh A Day Can Keep the Blues Away! My new book "Nature's Tickle Times" carries on my message of a Respect for All Life. It is a fascinating blend of incredible photography and cheerful commentary meant to raise awareness of the unique and wonderful fellow beings with who we share this planet. Laugh with a diversity of wildlife from hummingbirds to Humpback whales. During these stressful, depressing times I hope this brings many smiles and laughter. All proc...eeds from book sales will be spent on the Lifeforce 40th Anniversary projects. See the EBook and Paperback Book at: https://www.amazon.ca/Natures-Tickle-Times-mom//B09GQSTFF2 Have a Very Tickle Time! Peter Hamilton Lifeforce Founder [email protected]

A Reminder: A Laugh A Day Can Keep the Blues Away! My new book "Nature's Tickle Times" carries on my message of a Respect for All Life. It is a fascinating blend of incredible photography and cheerful commentary meant to raise awareness of the unique and wonderful fellow beings with who we share this planet. Laugh with a diversity of wildlife from hummingbirds to Humpback whales. During these stressful, depressing times I hope this brings many smiles and laughter. All proc...eeds from book sales will be spent on the Lifeforce 40th Anniversary projects. See the EBook and Paperback Book at: https://www.amazon.ca/Natures-Tickle-Times-mom//B09GQSTFF2 Have a Very Tickle Time! Peter Hamilton Lifeforce Founder [email protected]

Save the Fraser River Wildlife Habitats! Since 2005 Lifeforce has sent undeniable evidence to stop any expansion of the Roberts Banks Terminal 2. Please sign the David Suzuki Foundation Letter to Save Orcas by February 13th The Government of Canada is accepting public input until February 13 to decide whether the Roberts Bank port expansion should go ahead. The massive project would cover 117 hectares the size of 167 soccer fields of the Fraser Estuary, home to hundreds ...of animals and plants, including migratory birds and juvenile salmon. https://davidsuzuki.org/ac/stop-the-fraser-delta-megaport/ See more

THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU! An online survey was launched to help gather feedback on the proposed management measure options for 2022 to continue to support the recovery of Southern Resident Killer Whales. Since 2019, the Government of Canada has been implementing a suite of measures to protect and further support the recovery of Southern Resident Killer Whales. These measures have been in place annually to address key threats to the recovery of thi...s population, including reduced quantity and access to their prey, and increased noise and disturbance in their habitat. Your valued feedback will help us refine the proposed management measures and help us understand potential implications of the options being considered. As such, we invite you to review the proposed management measure options for 2022, and submit your comments to help inform this years approach. The public survey is available on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada website until March 2, 2022. Please use this link to access the survey. https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca//2022-srkw-survey-sondage-er Here are some important issues that Lifeforce hopes you will include: 1. Federal Marine Mammal Regulations must be mandatory for all Cadets training. In 2018, Comox Cadets and Instructors violated all regs for days when pursuing a lone orca in the Comox Harbour. I was advised that their courses never included regulations and wildlife information. This must also include all similar courses and all boater education programs such as the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons courses. 2. In order to prevent increasing sewage pollution of orca habitats and their food sources treatment levels must be at the present highest Tertiary Treatment available. See Lifeforce Petition: https://www.change.org/p/let-s-make-tertiary-sewage-treatme 3. As one of the three primary threats, Boat Traffic must include the excessive Research Vessel Traffic that has been for decades and has not "Saved" them. In 2016 at least an L pod male and possibly 2 Transients died from infections from tracking darts by researchers. In 2018 J pod with ailing Scarlet was harassed by numerous researchers with talk of removal from family for captivity. Stop, the barbaric peer review lucrative experiments! There are modern, non-invasive technologies available. Please Help Fund the Lifeforce 40th Anniversary Projects. Donations can be made to Lifeforce Foundation either by mail to: Lifeforce Foundation, Box 3117, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 3X6 or through PayPal (Click on Support Us on the web site). Please use our printable donation form for all postal mail donations. http://www.lifeforcefoundation.org/pdfs/donation_form.pdf

Humpback calf severely injured by boat propeller last year on the mend Hope the humpback was spotted swimming with mom Stingray, on Dec. 14 near Denman Island and, most recently, on Jan. 24 near Campbell River. Darron Klostet Victoria Times Colonist, Feb 04, 2022 VICTORIA A humpback whale calf that suffered a severe gash across its back last year from a boat propeller appears to be healing and surviving in the Salish Sea....Continue reading

Update from MERS: We are pretty sure you could use some good news so, here you go. Hope is alive. No, we did not realize JUST how inspirational this 1-year-old Humpback calf's nickname would prove to be. We asked Peter Hamilton of @Ocean Friends to suggest a nickname. He was the first to document the extreme injuries from a boat propeller in August. So fortuitously, the propeller did not severe Hope's spinal cord nor did Hope die from infection. The last sighting was on January 24th and Hope was with mother, Stingray (BCZ0409).

CIRCUS BANS Thought this Memory was appropriate in view of the wild animal only ban in France! In cities with wild animal bans only the circuses would keep the animals locked up for days while they did shows exploiting the domestic animals. NEWS INFORMATION... January 2017 Re: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus recently announced it was closing after 146 years, citing falling ticket sales, high operating costs and changing public tastes in entertainment. The first bans on wild and domestic animal acts in circuses were in Saanich and Victoria. As a result of Lifeforce investigations of circuses, Saanich and then Victoria were the first cities in the world to ban all animal acts - both domestic and wild animal acts in 1991. Based on Lifeforce investigations of a circus in Burnaby, these bylaws banned both domestic and wild animal acts in circuses and other types of shows. The Victoria SPCA with a veterinarian confirmed our findings. In addition to lions, tigers, monkeys, and elephants; the horses, dogs, and birds were injured and subjected to abuses. The SPCA inspected the circus and noted the following: the majority of the horses had lacerations, abrasions or scars from old injuries. There was no food or water available for the tigers. The cages for the monkeys were extraordinarily small, not allowing the monkeys to stand on their hind legs. The inspector was told by the circus that the monkeys and dogs are kept in the cages at all times, except for the show performances. No water was provided for the monkeys and dogs. One dog broke a leg. The inspector stated in her report, this circus, where the animals did not have food or water available, where the animals were kept entirely in cages too small to allow the least bit of movement or comfort, and where it was impossible to find anyone to accept basic responsibility for the care of the animals was a prime example of everything that should not be allowed to occur in a circus. Regretfully, other organizations failed to protect all circus animals when they later lobbied for bans on only wild animals in other cities. They failed to protect domestic animals. Shame on them! See more

It’s the Lifeforce 40th Anniversary Fundraiser! Can you Help Us Help All Life? Lifeforce was created in 1981 to raise public awareness of the interrelationship of human, animal and environmental rights. This year, we have many projects that we hope to complete. This includes book publications and a film. The Lifeforce Documentary is tentatively titled Respect All Life with Lifeforce that has always been our goal. Here is a short video as a reminder of the many victories tha...t we achieved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs8jnyMOcoE To protect everyone’s future we must learn from the past. We must raise public awareness of the ongoing need to end speciesism in order to finally bring Peace for All Life! How you can help Our Goal is $40,000. Donations can be made to Lifeforce Foundation either by mail to: Lifeforce Foundation, Box 3117, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 3X6 or through PayPal (Click on Support Us on the web site). Please use our printable donation form for all postal mail donations. http://www.lifeforcefoundation.org/pdfs/donation_form.pdf

April 24th is World Day For Animals in Laboratories. Time we add in the wild too! April 24, 2021 The New World Day for All Animals in Experiments! Stop Inhumane Experiments on Domestic and Wild Animals!...Continue reading

Earth Day April 22, 2021: Sewage Pollution and Climate Change are Major Threats to All Life! Sewage Pollution Threats Continue!...Continue reading

Re: Grey Whale Infection from Tracking Dart In 2016 an endangered orca in L pod died from infection from these types of experiments. At that time two Transients might have also died. Lots of harm have been caused for decades. Watch the video of the Vancouver Aquarium and others harassing and chasing J pod for days to shoot with antibiotics when J50/Scarlet was ailing. Scarlet died. A New Protection Plan... Lifeforce’s New Plan for Orca Protection promotes modern technological advances that will increase information about the travel patterns of the Southern Resident killer whales and other cataceans. This can include land based whale watching/monitoring (with high power telescopes and other research equipment); land based drone monitoring; hydrophones and motion sensing cameras on navigation markers and at land bases; the tracking/vocal identifications by the use of vast government, university and other hydrophone networks in the Salish Sea and oceans; satellite monitoring and much, much more. Reducing Research Vessel Traffic Too! Government agencies and others must recognize the threats by ongoing unnecessary research vessels. Whales have been treated as research tools for lucrative grants and careers. The continuous long close follows and getting on top of frightened orcas must be stopped. Alternatives are available to stop the excessive, barbaric experiments and studying them to death!

This Great Blue Heron is looking at a Red-winged Blackbirds' nest. Who Wins? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyWOPyuiQm8

A Major Issue of Our Times: Making Tertiary Sewage Treatment the Law! Wildlife continues to live in harmful, polluted waters. Stopping the growing pollution and increasing costs is one of the major issues facing present and future generations. The necessary upgrades could take over 15 years if not mandated now. Contaminants, such as microplastics and pharmaceuticals, would continue to be dumped into the rivers and oceans! Two of the three major threats to endangered orcas, ...pollution and lack of food, could be significantly reduced. In order to protect people, animals and ecosystems all governments must make Tertiary Sewage Treatment the Law. Did you know that numerous cities in British Columbia are only planning Secondary Treatments? This includes the Comox Valley and Powell River. In February, two Comox Council Members supported Tertiary Treatment but no action was taken. Please use the information in this petition to urge your local politicians worldwide to make new regulations. This major issue is a matter of Life or Death! Please Help Stop the Pollution Now! Also, Please Sign and Share: https://www.change.org/p/let-s-make-tertiary-sewage-treatme To Protect All Life, Peter Hamilton Lifeforce