International Pressure forces
Japan to abandon humpback whale hunt:
Japan has announced that it no longer plans to hunt 50 humpback
whales during its current annual whale hunt in the protected
waters of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary off Antarctica. However,
as of January 10, 2008, it had already killed 50 minke whales
as part of its total self-allocated catch quota of 935 minke
whales and 50 endangered fin whales. International condemnation
of Japan’s hunt has been great. On January 8, 2008, the
Australian government dispatched the icebreaker The Oceanic
Viking, to observe and document Japan’s whale hunting
activities in an effort to gather evidence for possible legal
action against Japan. Japan’s whaling fleet left Shimonoseki
port in November 2007 and is expected to return in early spring.
Other headlines:
Lord Ashcroft, KCMG (aged
61) has been an entrepreneur working in businesses in the UK,
US, Caribbean and Central America.
He is currently the Chairman of BB Holdings OneSource Inc and
an active investor in new companies and ideas.
He also supports a wide range of charities, internationally.
He set up Michael
A Ashcroft Foundation in September 2000 in Belize to fund
charitable projects in the Caribbean and Central America which
may not otherwise have had the opportunity to develop.
Lord Ashcroft has worked with EIA previously on other environmental
projects and as he is an avid whale-watcher was happy to support
their efforts to back an advertising campaign aimed at the
six Caribbean countries to withdraw their support for whaling
(see
press release)
Lord Ashcroft states:
“I
do not profess to be a conservationist nor an environmentalist.
Other than the minor exception of aboriginal subsistence whaling
in small countries, I believe there is no justification on
either scientific or commercial grounds for the killing of
what I regard as some of the world’s most beautiful creatures.”
Lord Ashcroft has funded this website and the television advert
and campaign.
Do you believe these magnificent creatures which have inhabited
our beautiful Earth for millions of years should be spared
from further commercial hunting?
If you would like to help protect whales, we invite you to
explore this website and take action to save these gentle creatures.
Right now, Japan’s government-funded whaling fleet is
headed for the waters of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary, an internationally
protect area in the waters around Antarctica. Despite global
protests, they have announced that they intend to harpoon more
than a thousand whales there.
In addition to the 935 minke whales Japan is set to kill, it
also plans to kill endangered species of whales – including
50 fin whales, and for the first time in more than 40 years – 50
humpback whales.
Shockingly, the governments of some Caribbean countries support
Japan’s commercial whaling program.
Help stop Japan’s whale slaughter. We must tell our government
leaders to support whale conservation not Japan’s
whale killing.
Visit the Take Action page for your country NOW and send a
strong message to your government.
This
website and the whale ad is facilitated by the non-profit Environmental
Investigation Agency (www.eia-global.org).
We work to protect endangered species and the natural environment.
We investigate environmental crime around the world, working
with local NGOs, policy makers, government departments and
enforcement authorities working co-operatively for achievable
and constructive solutions.
The
website and ad are supported by Lord Ashcroft KCMG. Click
here to visit the website of the Michael A Ashcroft Foundation.
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“I
do not profess to be a conservationist nor an environmentalist.
Other than the minor exception of aboriginal subsistence whaling
in small countries, I believe there is no justification on
either scientific or commercial grounds for the killing of
what I regard as some of the world’s most beautiful creatures.”
