End the killing of whales

This is a petition to save the remaining whales of the world from dying. Every year well over 1,000 whales are slaughtered for profits.

Although most of the world supports the protection of whales, countries such as Japan, Norway and Iceland are trying to lift the ban on commercial whaling. It is inconceivable when these countries make more money from whale-watching industry than that of commercial whaling, and yet they are still persistent in the resumption of commercial whaling.

The way in which whales are killed are particularly cruel. They are hit by harpoons with exploding grenades in their tip. Half the whales are killed quickly. The other half suffer excruciating pain as they are dragged to the ship and shot at with guns. It can take many shots to kill a whale, and some take an hour to die.

Why are whales so important? Whales play an important role in the ecology of the ocean. Since it is at the top of the food chain, they provide evidence on the level of contamination caused by human-created chemicals. And by acting as an indicator to the condition of the sea, they are able to provide vital information to scientists and conservationists.

At the same time this increases the awareness and protection for the abundance, distribution and behavior of many endangered species that wash ashore each year.