80,000 Russians Urge Japan to Stop Commercial Whaling

5/15/2002

From: Masha Vorontsova of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, 7-502-933-3411 (in Russia) or 7-095-790-6564 (mobile) Email: mvorontsova@ifaw.org Jennifer Ferguson-Mitchell of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, 508-744-2076 (in U.S.) Email: jfm@ifaw.org

MOSCOW, May 16 -- In the week preceding the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Shimonoseki, Japan, 80,000 Russian citizens signed petitions calling for Japan to stop its cruel and unnecessary scientific whaling.

The petitions are being presented today to the Japanese Embassy in Moscow by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW-www.ifaw.org), which collected them during the organization's annual Animal Action Week event. The more than 80,000 signatories of the petitions called on Japan to hear their voices of opposition to Japan's recently launched and highly criticized 'Save Them, Eat Them' campaign to bring back public demand for whale meat and overturn the current ban on whaling.

IFAW also called on the Russian Government today to vote in the interests of whale conservation at the IWC meeting in Shimonoseki, one of Japan's largest whaling ports. This year's IWC meeting is a crucial one for whale conservation as Japan continues to aggressively campaign for an end to the IWC global moratorium on commercial whaling, and has increased its influence over small island nations to vote with them on pro-whaling issues.

Japan currently kills hundreds of minke whales every year in the name of "science" as well as sperm and Bryde's whales. In February, Japan not only increased the number of minke whales it will take this year, but added the endangered sei whale to its list of species hunted. The meat from Japan's 'scientific' whaling ends up in Japanese meat markets in Tokyo; while IFAW DNA research has revealed that meat from other protected whale species also ends up for sale.

Masha Vorontsova, IFAW Country Director for Russia said, "As the pro-whaling nations gain ground, the international community must ensure we never return to the days of uncontrolled whaling which brought some populations of whales to the brink of extinction. Japan is part of that community and must realize that its whaling operation is an outdated and cruel practice. Every vote at next week's IWC meeting is vital and we are urging the Russian Government to vote for whale conservation and not with Japan."

For more information on commercial whaling and to help support IFAW's anti-whaling campaign, visit: www.ifaw.org.

--- EDITORS: Images of Japanese commercial whaling are available through the contacts above.