http://www.newsweek.com/japan-kills-120-pregnant-whales-antarctica-946431
a prominent animal rights group has expressed outrage at Japan’s
controversial whaling program after it emerged that more than 120 pregnant
whales were slaughtered last year during the country’s annual hunt in the
Antarctic Ocean.
Latest figures show that 333 minke Antarctic whales were killed last
summer, 181 of which were females and 122 of which were pregnant.
The annual summer hunt, which lasted 143 days, killed 61 immature males and
53 immature females or 114 in total, according to meeting papers from the
International Whaling Commission’s scientific committee.
Humane Society International senior program manager Alexia Wellbelove
criticized the “cruelty of Japan’s whale hunt.”
A Minke whale is trussed to the side of the Japanese whale hunter Kyo Maru
in this image from 1995 as the boat heads for the factory ship Nisshin Maru
in the Antarctic whale sanctuary. Japan is under fire after it emerged that
it had killed over 120 pregnant whales in the summer of 2017.REUTERS
“It is further demonstration, if needed, of the truly gruesome and
unnecessary nature of whaling operations, especially when non-lethal
surveys have been shown to be sufficient for scientific needs,” she told the
*Sydney Morning Herald*
<https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/japan-slaughters-more-than-120-pregnant-whales-for-research-20180529-p4zi68.html>
.
Japan says the hunting is for scientific research which it describes as
“biological sampling” that allows examination of the Antarctic marine
ecosystem. Whale is allowed to be sold in Japanese food markets.
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Harpoons loaded with a grenade are used to target one or two whales in a
school and the carcass is then taken to the Japanese research vessel
Nisshin Maru where the contents of the animal’s stomachs, body parts and
skull are examined.
In November, video showed the brutality of a Japanese whale hunt in an
Australian whale sanctuary, which was only released after five years, after
the Australian government feared that it would harm ties between Canberra
and Tokyo.
The Japanese Embassy has not yet commented and Tokyo insists its program is
carried out “in accordance with the International Convention for Regulation
of Whaling.”
Japan says it will hunt about 4000 whales over the next decade.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 2014 that Japan’s JARPA II
Antarctic whaling program was illegal but Japan no longer recognizes the
court as an arbiter of disputes over whales, the *Maritime Executive *
<https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/japan-killed-122-pregnant-whales#gs.9NymSMM>
reported.
Australia’s shadow minister for the environment Tony Burke called on his
country’s government to stop the annual hunt.
“There is nothing scientific about harpooning a pregnant whale, chopping it
up and putting it on a plate. Japan’s position on this is absurd and the
Australian government must not be silent,” he said.
Exposing the Big Game 
Reblogged this on Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting Blog.
Reblogged this on Rangitikei Enviromental Health Watch.
Humans are the most vicious pyscopaths
From: Exposing the Big Game Reply-To: Exposing the Big Game Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2018 at 1:56 PM To: louise kane Subject: [New post] JAPAN SLAUGHTERED OVER 120 PREGNANT WHALES IN ANNUAL ANTARCTICA SUMMER HUNT
Exposing the Big Game posted: “http://www.newsweek.com/japan-kills-120-pregnant-whales-antarctica-946431 a prominent animal rights group has expressed outrage at Japan’s controversial whaling program after it emerged that more than 120 pregnant whales were slaughtered last year “
The only.
This has to be stopped somehow. Killing pregnant animals without care is the road to extinction. Whale meat isn’t even that popular in Japan anymore. It’s a government thing, just like Canada’s propping up of the seal industry, the US support of killing wildlife for the ranching and other industries.
The love of killing (and rationalizing the reason for it) are two human character flaws. We don’t tolerate the needless killing of each other, and we shouldn’t tolerate it in other life on earth either.
^^or being done to other life on earth.
I sometimes wonder (not for this particular case with whales) that the introduction of ranching by the Western world is responsible for so much misery.
Japan had wolves at one time, wolves that they revered. Until after WWII and Western ways, and how to trap and kill predators. These articles I have saved, and give reason to mourn the change to modern life and toxic Western influence for all nations:
http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2013/01/22/lost-wolves-new-england/
We Westerners aren’t making them kill whales…
Nothing continues to be done about this. How fragile are nations’ relationships with Japan that they can’t stand up to them on this issue??? It seems like the Japanese would hardly break trade agreements, etc. if countries said no more and imposed a few sanctions. They need other countries trade more than they need the whale meat. Research my ass…….
All so true!
Why do we even bother with the International Whaling Commission? It’s a joke. They make their rules and have no method of enforcement. The whole research thing is a sham.
Right, don’t the Japanese have enough whale carcasses to “study”!!