Whale Wars

The new season of Animal Planet's Whale Wars started today with a literal bang, as a Japanese whaling vessel harpooned a minke whale in plain sight of the Sea Shepherd crew. I couldn't watch. Footage of the so-called 'research' vessel where the whales are actually butchered and packaged (basically a floating slaughterhouse) were particuarly disturbing. While rubber-suited 'researchers' chop up whale carcasses on deck blood flows by the gallons from ports leading to the lower decks of the ship.

I'm really at a loss for words at this point. I had them earlier, but my laptop wasn't cooperating. It's still not cooperating or I would be looking up every single petition I could find to stop whaling and copying it here and mass emailing it to every single person I could begin to think of.

For now, just having said what I've said will have to do.

GreenPeace protection against Japanese Whalers

Hooray for a wish come true. Since I first heard the news about the Japanese intending to kill humpback whales for 'scientific research' the Greenpeace organization has been on my mind.
Now Japan has backed off of the humpbacks...but still intend to kill other whales including Fin whales and Minke whales..you can read more about it on the Greenpeace website.
I sometimes think people find Greenpeace to be too 'in your face' about their protection of environment and endangered species, but sometimes it is the only approach that works. On game reserves and in national parks in Africa individual teams of Park Rangers are often given exclusive guardianship over a specific animal, be it an endangered rhinoceros or elephant, or perhaps a pride of lions in order to protect them, with force if necessary from the danger of poaching. And Japan's plans to continue to kill protected whale species IS poaching. There is no scientific OR commercial basis for Japan's continued whale hunts. The market for whale meat is virtually non-existent at this point. Already whaling in Iceland has given up the ghost, due to the unmarketability of whale meat.
So what can you do to help? Aside from making donations to conservation organizations like Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund, and Defenders of Wildlife, I encourage you to write to the tourism bureau of nations like Japan who refuse to concede to environmental science and let them know that you would never consider spending your hard earned money on a vacation to their nation until all unnecessary 'scientific' whaling ceases, and you would discourage anyone else from visiting as well.