Whales are dying in agony after being harpooned with grenades that don’t immediately kill them and fail to explode inside of them. Icelandic whalers have long used grenade harpoons skewers to kill whales and according to experts, whalers use the weapons on an “alarming” number of fin whales before they drag them to shore, where […]
Tag: japan
Japanese whaling industry on the brink of collapse: less demand, less subsidies for whale meat
The whaling industry in Japan is on the brink of collapse as young generations tastes have rapidly changed and government subsidies are beginning to shrink. The industry employed thousands of people in the decades immediately after World War II, and sustained entire communities during those difficult economic times, is today losing the government subsidies that […]
More Than 30 Endangered Green Sea Turtles Found Stabbed on Japanese Island
Police are investigating the mysterious injuries of more than 30 endangered green sea turtles on the remote Japanese island of Kumejima. The turtles – discovered by locals July 14 – had been stabbed in their necks and flippers and were lying motionless on the beach, The Asahi Shimbun reported. The locals then alerted employees at […]
‘Roar, roar, roar!’ Japan rolls out rock music against bear attacks
Can rock’n’roll keep people safe from bear attacks? One Japanese region is hoping so, and has commissioned a cautionary anthem warning residents about the threat of its ursine inhabitants. Bears are common across Japan and regularly spark frantic hunts when they venture into towns, where they have attacked and even killed residents. A spike in […]
Tokyo Olympics ‘green’ efforts undermined by Japanese whaling, protesters warn
The Tokyo Olympics cannot be eco-friendly so long as the country kills whales that play a key role in tackling the climate crisis, the Japanese prime minister is being warned. The games, which begin on Friday, are being billed as the most eco-friendly ever, thanks to pledges such as using 100 per cent renewable energy […]
Japanese whaling ships leave ports to hunt for whales
Two commercial whaling vessels departed on the 10th and 11th of June from the Japanese ports of Shimonoseki and Innoshima to kill up to 187 Bryde’s whales and 25 sei whales. Japan resumed commercial whaling three years ago after leaving the International Whaling Commission (IWC – the body that regulates whaling) and following widespread international […]
Campaigners condemn killing of minke whale trapped in nets in Japan
Animal welfare campaigners have condemned the killing of a trapped minke whale off the coast of Taiji, a town in Japan best known for its annual dolphin cull. The young whale, which had been trapped inside nets since 24 December, was killed early on Monday morning before being taken ashore wrapped in blue tarpaulin, according […]
Petition: Minke Whale Trapped in Net for 13 Days
Activists from Humane Society International (HSI) Australia are concerned about a trapped minke whale in Japan. A drone has been filming a Minke whale that’s been trapped in a fishing net near Taiji. Humane Society International/Australia’s animal welfare program manager, Georgie Dolphin, said in an emailed statement, “This minke whale has now been trapped in […]