'A Whale of A Week' that seemed like a month long, 1 Billion Dollars Orca Recovery in Washington, It's NOT too late for Kayla, 5 Facts About Whaling, 100 whales (orcas and belugas) locked in Russian whale jail

Over 1 Billion Dollars Pledged for Orca Recovery by Washington Governor. In March of last year, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee initiated the Southern Resident Orca Task Force to take action on behalf of the endangered family of orcas in the Pacific Northwest, who have captured the hearts of people across the globe. Details of this billion-dollar initiative have recently been released.

The Task Force, consisting of roughly 50 experts from diverse sectors, was established after Tahlequah, a member of the Southern Resident Killer Whale population, carried her dead baby for 17 days, on what some called a “tour of grief.” Tahlequah, also known as J35, is one of only 74 orcas who make up the Southern Residents today. Sadly, it is predicted that two additional orcas, J17 and K25, will die before this coming summer.

In December 2018, Governor Inslee announced his $1.1 billion orca recovery plan based on the Task Force’s initial recommendations, which included four goals: increasing food availability, decreasing vessel noise and traffic as well as pollution, and ensuring ongoing conservation efforts.

Among the most drastic, and potentially life-saving of the Governor’s initiatives are a three-year moratorium on whale-watching of the Southern Residents; statewide efforts to increase Chinook salmon numbers by improving fish habitats; an evaluation of a bypass of the Lower Snake River Dams; and a spill program to send more water over the Columbia and Snake River dams.

Now, more than ever, action is needed to protect this vulnerable family and their ecosystem. Although Governor Inslee’s plan is a step in the right direction, the road towards implementing these important strategies remains strewn with obstacles. Stay tuned for updates and ways you can get involved.

Please help our important work for orcas and other cetaceans.

Japan Leaving IWC To Continue Whaling

In December, Japan announced it would be leaving the International Whaling Commission to resume commercial whaling in the country’s territorial waters. The announcement has been met with criticism, yet some anticipate a silver lining.

In 1986, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) placed a moratorium on commercial whaling; however, Japan has continued to hunt whales in the southern hemisphere through a ‘scientific research’ loophole for over three decades. At last year’s 67th IWC conference, most member nations asserted that whaling is unnecessary for scientific research.

Following Japan’s announcement, Captain Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd, outlined why Japan’s departure from the IWC and openly hunting whales starting in July 2019 could potentially yield some positive outcomes. Watson notes that nations previously influenced, and at times bribed, by Japan will no longer be compelled to vote against whales’ interests at IWC meetings. Watson also suggests that the focus of the IWC can now be placed on conservation - not whaling - since Japan was the primary hindrance to these efforts, perhaps leading the way for sanctuaries and other protective measures in the future.

Environmental law professor, Al Gillespie, is not as optimistic. He worries that Japan’s decision will encourage other countries to “walk away, not just from the whaling debate, from any other environmental issues that they don’t agree with.” Gillespie suggests that Japan is following Donald Trump’s decision to leave the Paris Climate Agreement and is concerned that the IWC could collapse, eliminating international agreements to protect whales.

Regardless of whether Japan participates with the IWC, Japan’s practice of whaling is viewed as morally and ethically wrong by the majority of the world. Just as Japan will continue whaling, In Defense of Animals will continue to advocate for and protect the great whales.

Please support our advocacy on behalf of cetaceans everywhere.

Whaling is a brutal and bloody business, and although there has been strong opposition to it from millions of people around the world, Japan, Norway, and Iceland continue to hunt and kill these beautiful creatures by the boat load.

In 1986, a Moratorium on Commercial Whaling was brought into effect by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), but this was not enough to stop the cruel practice. Using loopholes in the regulations, countries have continued whaling under the provision of scientific research. However, this is just a legal way for them to carry on hunting whales which will ultimately be destined to end up in food markets and restaurants. Japan alone has killed more than 8,000 whales under the guise of scientific research since the Moratorium began in 1986.

Here are five alarming facts that highlight the plight of the whales and the fight that we’re up against if we want to save them:

1. 16,000 whales have been murdered every year for 83 consecutive years.
Whaling has been around for centuries, but due to a rapid increase in demand for whale meat in certain countries, whaling practices went into overdrive at the turn of the last century. From 1904 to 1987, an estimated 1,339,232 whales were killed by commercial whaling fleets in the Antarctic alone. That’s a heart wrenching 16,000 whales murdered year after year for the best part of a century.

2. 40 years after Antarctic whaling was banned, Blue Whale numbers remain critically low.
In the Antarctic, hunting for Blue Whales was banned in 1964. The original numbers for the Blue Whale in that region were around 20,000, but by the time the ban was brought into place, this population had dropped significantly. Today’s estimates only state around 2,000 Blue Whales, showing that even 40 years after the hunting was banned, they have struggled to repopulate. Worldwide numbers of Blue Whales have reduced from 220,000 to as little as 3,000. This highlights the long term effects of hunting on the ocean’s ecosystems.

3. Since 1986, over 25,000 whales have been murdered legally for “scientific research.”
A ban on commercial hunting of whales has not put a stop to the practice altogether as Japan have been able to conduct “commercial whaling in disguise” due to a loophole regarding scientific research. They assign themselves a permit to conduct scientific research on these magnificent ocean creatures, and killing is in the remit of the study.

4. Despite citing “scientific research” as a Reason for Capture, no data is ever published by reputable scientific journals.
You would imagine that there would be strict laws about the grounds for scientific research which allows “scientists” to capture and kill wild animals. However, after more than 25 years of this practice, almost no significant data has ever been published by a reputable scientific journal. Many of the Japanese “research” objectives are flawed or are based on incorrect scientific assumptions. In most cases, the information they claim to be collecting would be much more efficiently rounded up from non-lethal methods such as tagging, photo ID, and DNA profiling – certainly not death.

5. Money speaks louder than lives.
The sad truth of the matter is that despite the overwhelming majority of people on this planet being opposed to Japan and Norway’s whaling practices, those in power look at the financial rewards and trade benefits that come from supporting Japan in the IWC vote. It seems that the life of a whale in the Antarctic or North Pacific is of little consequence to those looking out for the financial interests of their people in other parts of the world, and year after year, bribery claims have been at the center of much controversy at the IWC meetings as countries pledge support for Japan despite the mountain of evidence showing the damage it causes and the lack of benefit that the “scientific research” is having.

Right this moment, there are more than 100 whales (orcas and belugas) locked in small ice-covered underwater cages – in “the Russian whale jail” – situated on Russia's Pacific coastline. Some are suffering from signs of frostbite and pneumonia.

Anastasia, who launched the petition, is fighting to save these innocent whales. And signatures from more than 800,000 people like you are bringing greater attention to this tragic international story before the whales die from the extreme cold temperatures.

Anastasia's petition, the online Change community, and the work of many organizations is having a real impact.

Just days ago, we got word that a Russian investigative committee opened a new criminal case with charges of animal cruelty against the companies that captured the orcas and belugas. The committee has indicated that some measures will be taken to return the animals back to the natural habitat – but this campaign isn’t over until the whales are safe!

Now, we need your help to make sure the investigative committee keeps their promise to protect these whales. In the US alone, we have over 62 million people who use Change to fight injustice. Imagine what we could do for animals if just 1% of those people — people just like you — joined as monthly Animal Protection Members.

You can help ensure that our small team has the necessary financial resources to help big campaigns like “Russian whale jail” get off the ground and make an enormous, life-saving impact.

Kayla — a 30-year-old female orca who spent her entire life in captivity, reportedly began showing signs of declining health…and died just two days later at SeaWorld in Florida.

Like so many other wild and endangered animals held in captivity across the country, Kayla never got to experience the life she deserved.

You can help protect animals like Kayla. We’re fighting for stronger animal protection laws like the Florida Orca Protection Act, which would ensure that no additional orcas will be forced to live in captivity, and that future generations remain in the wild where they belong.

Your gift today will help make new legislation like this possible. Will you step up today before more animals die in captivity just like Kayla?

The Florida Orca Protection Act was filed for the 2018 legislative session, but the legislature adjourned before the bill was debated. We are currently working with lawmakers to reintroduce the bill in the 2019 legislative session.

We’re heartbroken by Kayla’s death, but we’re more motivated than ever to ensure that this much-needed legislation gets passed. And we need your help to do it!

Kayla deserved better than what she got: a short life in a small tank. Orcas are counting on us to make sure this generation of captive orcas is the last. Please help end the cruel captivity of animals across the country who are being exploited for profit.

It’s wrong to imprison wild animals for the sake of profit. And with your support, we can continue to build on this movement to end this cruel practice, and establish comprehensive legal protections to prevent more animal suffering in the future.

Kayla was just the latest casualty. There are countless other animals who are suffering right now. Will you help the Animal Legal Defense Fund?