NRDC Save Bio Gems June 6, 2012:
Do you care about whales? Do you ever use the internet giant Yahoo!? Then you should know that Yahoo! Japan is selling whale and dolphin products on its website, including meat from endangered species.
Although Yahoo! has banned the sale of whale products on all its other sites, its Japanese subsidiary – Yahoo! Japan – continues to sell whale products. That means Yahoo! – through its 34% interest in Yahoo! Japan – profits from the illegal slaughter of whales.
According to a report just issued by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), in March 2012 Yahoo! Japan offered 249 whale products for sale – including sashimi, bacon, and canned whale meat.
The International Whaling Commission has banned commercial whaling since 1986. Yet Japan continues to kill whales under the guise of “scientific research” – even within the boundaries of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary established by the IWC in 1994 to protect whales.
Each year, Japan issues itself “scientific research” quotas to kill some 1,000 minke, fin, sperm, Bryde’s and sei whales in the Antarctic and North Pacific oceans. Many of these whales were hunted nearly to extinction and are only now rebounding from centuries of overhunting.
By selling whale products, Yahoo! Japan is helping Japan’s efforts to evade international law and kill whales for commercial gain.
Join NRDC, EIA and the Humane Society in urging Yahoo! Japan to stop the sale of all whale products.
Earlier this year, Amazon’s Japanese website was found to be selling whale products. In response to public outrage, Amazon swiftly announced a ban on all such sales.
Now is the time for Yahoo! to follow Amazon’s lead. Click here and tell Yahoo! to use its influence over Yahoo! Japan to permanently ban the sale of all whale products on Yahoo! Japan's website.
The whales need our help!
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