No more whale hunting in the Southern Ocean!

I'm so happy with today's ruling by the International Court of Justice and I know I'm in good company! Japan can no longer continue its annual whale hunt in the Southern Ocean, where they make the majority of their catch, and the argument that it is for scientific purposes has been rejected.

"a more concentrated campaign focused in Japan has begun to see major change in the perception
 of the whaling programme at home, despite it coming at great risk and cost to campaigners"
Source: Greenpeace

Read more about it here, here and a good article about reduced Japanese support of whaling here.

_____________________________________________________________

Update April 2014: "Japan says the whaling is scientific.. Tokyo is making preparations to submit a revised whaling plan for both the Pacific and the Antarctic to the International Whaling Commission by this fall.." despite the fact that, according to a recent survey of Japanese consumers "Only 4% said they consumed whale meat 'occasionally' while 10% said they ate it on 'rare occasions,'" (Source).

If you are one of the growing number of Japanese citizens who are against whaling or dolphin hunting and would like to find out more about how you can help, Japan's first open opposition group, 'Action for Marine Mammals' is an excellent place to start - go for it!

................................................................................

Forest & Sea ▪ www.etsy.com/shop/ForestAndSea

hand drawn nature on fabric, accessories & homeware

  

Taiji Cove

I've been horrified by the events in Taiji Cove the last few weeks. The cruelty witnessed by the Cove Guardians is shocking and many zoos and aquariums around the world (and thereby their visitors) are financing the slaughter by buying the best looking dolphins caught by the 'fishermen'. This week around 50 have been captured for sale, many just infants and juveniles taken from their mothers, destined for a boring, shortened life of imprisonment. Many, many others have been killed in a slow and painful way for their meat. If you could spare a couple of minutes to sign a petition for WAZA (World Association for Zoos and Aquariums) to enforce their code of ethics and expel the offending aquariums, it could make a difference!

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION HERE. Their goal is 200,000 signatures and right now they're at 124,610.

Here are some other good links to find out more:

Read here about captive cetaceans

Read the list of aquariums known to buy wild dolphins from these dolphin drives

Debunking the romanticized myth of becoming a dolphin trainer

_____________________________________________________________

If you are one of the growing number of Japanese citizens who are against whaling or dolphin hunting and would like to find out more about how you can help, Japan's first open opposition group, 'Action for Marine Mammals' is an excellent place to start - go for it!

................................................................................

Forest & Sea ▪ www.etsy.com/shop/ForestAndSea

hand drawn nature on fabric, accessories & homeware