IFAW: Whale at Westminster highlights Japanese whaling threat as MPs lend their support

Whale at Westminster highlights Japanese whaling threat as MPs lend their support by ‘adopting’ humpbacks

(London – 21 November 2007) The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), brought its whale to Westminster today (Wed) to highlight the threat to whales as Japan’s whaling fleet heads to Antarctica to hunt more than 1,000 whales.

IFAW has adopted humpback whales for UK MPs to encourage them to do all they can to protect the threatened species. More than 60 MPs attended an event at Westminster to receive their adoption certificates and pledge their opposition to Japanese whaling.

The humpback whale is listed as vulnerable and has been protected from whaling for more than four decades after being driven to near extinction by commercial whaling during the last century. Despite this, Japan has now added 50 humpbacks to its target list as it sails towards the Southern Ocean Sanctuary in Antarctica to hunt 1,035 whales. In addition to humpbacks they will target 935 minke whales and 50 endangered fin whales in an internationally recognised whale sanctuary.

Japan claims its expanding annual whale hunts are for “scientific” purposes, but little science has been produced and the whale meat is put on sale in restaurants and supermarkets.

Robbie Marsland, Director of IFAW UK, said: “IFAW is very grateful to UK MPs for pledging their support for the whales. It is fantastic that 63 MPs will be watching the progress of their whales over the coming months as they undertake their annual migration through Antarctica.

“Whaling is inherently cruel – there is simply no humane way to kill a whale. Our scientists have analysed footage of Japanese whaling which shows whales taking over half an hour to die a very slow and agonising death. We urge the UK Government and other anti-whaling nations to take diplomatic action at the highest levels to protect whales.”

New findings from international legal experts in recent weeks have challenged Japan’s claim that its expanding whaling programme is legal under international law. Legal analyses by international panels of independent legal experts convened in Paris and London have found Japan’s expanding whaling operations to be in violation of International Whaling Commission (IWC) regulations and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

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For more information or images please contact Clare Sterling in the IFAW Press Office on 020 7587 6708, mobile 07917 507717, or email csterling@ifaw.org

Alternatively visit www.ifaw.org

Notes to Editors: A global moratorium on commercial whaling was adopted by the IWC in 1986. Japan’s self-allocated “scientific” whaling quota for 2007/8 includes more than 1,400 whales of seven different species: Antarctic minke, common minke, fin, sei, Brydes, sperm and humpback whales from the North Pacific and the waters of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary around Antarctica, established by the IWC in 1994.