Disgusting, isn't it?

The anti-whaling campaign on the net seems to attract a lot of attention, although I'm not really sure what good an online petition will do. The Japanese have proves that they don't really care what the world says, so I don't think some virtual signatures are going to persuade them to stop.

In the mean time, I bumped into this powerful and somewhat disturbing ad, that tries to fight the slaughter of whales:

Also, there might be another tiny hope, coming from the Aussies: Australia's new government may send a navy ship to Antarctica to track Japan's whaling fleet and gather evidence to mount a legal challenge.

According to Reuters, "Australia is a strong opponent of whaling and Rudd's government is mulling a legal case against Japan in the International Court of Justice in The Hague".

Still, we are not talking about STOPPING the Japanese. Seems like Australia only plans to watch, gather info and maybe sue later. I don't expect the Australian Navy to ram into the Japanese murder-boats, but some sort of interruption would be appreciated. I guess all the action will be created by the Sea Shepherd and their friends. All the luck, guys. May Neptune give you strength.

More on the subject:

>> Is Japan Whaling for Spite?
>> Japan Sets Out to Murder 1,000 Whales

Japan is Trying to Defend the Slaughter of Whales

The Japanese fleet has already begun the slaughtering of whales, under the pretense of "scientific exploration. Here's what the Japanese science looks like these days:

Four vessels, including the factory whaler Nisshin Maru, left the port of Shimonoseki on Sunday for the South Pacific. Their declared aim is to kill 935 minke whales as well as 50 fin whales under a loophole in the 1986 global ban on commercial whaling that allows countries a hunt of an undefined size, provided the dead whales are used for scientific purposes.

The Japanese fleet will also kill as many as 50 humpback whales this year.

The United States, the European Union and the governments of Australia and New Zealand criticized Japan for proceeding with the hunt.

The Japanese are unmoved by the opprobrium of Western governments. They counter that they have support from several developing countries now finding a voice to rebel against what they see as interference by Western activists eager to protect creatures such as elephants and seals, which are no longer universally endangered.

So the hunt continues, and nothing serious is done to stop it. The Japanese are doing as they damn well please. I really hope that Greepeace and other activists will show their worth, and soon.

STOP THE SLAUGHTER!

Japan Sets Out to Murder 1,000 Whales

Japan's whaling fleet set sail for the Antarctic, where it plans to capture and kill around 1,000 whales for "scientific" purposes - despite international protests.

For the first time, it plans to include around 50 humpback whales, which environmentalists say are still endangered.

It is feared that the Japanese will target the only White Humpback Whale in the world, named Migaloo.

A hard-line environmental group, Sea Shepherd, said Tuesday it planned to intercept Japan's whaling fleet in Antarctic waters as soon as possible.

An official with the group said its ship, Robert Hunter, was in dry dock preparing for a voyage to the Antarctic, and would sail from Melbourne on December 1st.

Japan argues that whale populations have recovered enough to allow a managed catch for scientific purposes - but much of the whale meat hauled in ultimately ends up on Japanese supermarket shelves.

There's no doubt about it - Japan is setting out for a voyage of murder. Fancy words won't change the facts.

I really hope they will be stopped. If you want to help out, you can donate to Sea Shepherd, or spread the word and don't let this atrocity pass you by.

>> Video coverage and updates of Japanese whaling