Whaling is Not A Conservation Issue

This story just shows how hypocritical Australia’s stance on whaling really is:

Australian animal protection groups questioned on Monday a new government guide for the humane killing of kangaroos which recommends "forcefully swinging" the heads of young animals against a vehicle tow bar.

A proposed code of conduct for shooting young kangaroos, called joeys, and smaller wallabies released by the Department of Environment also recommended a single close-range shotgun blast.

"These changes are basically saying the federal government believes it’s okay to blast a defenseless joey to bits with a shotgun," Pat O’Brien, President of the Wildlife Protection Association, told local newspapers.  [Reuters]

Remember this the next time you read how inhumane the Japanese are in their whaling practices. 

A further hit to the anti-whaling lobby came from an unlikely source Australian of the Year Tim Flannery:

ENVIRONMENTALIST and 2007 Australian of the Year Tim Flannery has declared his support for the hugely unpopular Japanese whaling program.

As Australia prepares to monitor the whaling fleet in Antarctica amid rising diplomatic tensions with Japan, Professor Flannery says there is nothing unsustainable about its annual cull of up to 1000 whales – particularly the common minke whale.

"In terms of sustainability, you can’t be sure that the Japanese whaling is entirely unsustainable," Professor Flannery told The Daily Telegraph. "It’s hard to imagine that the whaling would lead to a new decline in population."  [Daily Telegraph]

The anti-whaling lobby has been spreading the disinformation that the Japanese were going to hunt whales to extinction even though the Minke whale which they are authorized to hunt 935 of is not endangered.  Neither is the hunting of 50 Fin whales going to impact its population as well.  In fact both whales species numbers continue to grow and as Tim Flannery says are sustainable.  So this completely destroys the other anti-whaling argument I hear over and over again that Japanese whaling effects the Australian whale watching industry which is now obviously not true.

The whaling issue has nothing to do with the protecting the environment and conservation as the anti-whaling people are trying to lead people to believe.  This whole issue is that these people find whales cute and intelligent and feel that there lives are worth more than other animals.  If they would just come out and say that I would have more respect for their argument instead of hiding behind the phony environmental angle. 

The fact of the matter is that they need to hide behind the environmental angle because protecting animals because they are cute and smart isn’t likely to mobilize people against whaling.  However, when you pass propaganda that the Japanese are hunting whales to extinction, torturing them, violating Australian territorial waters, and going to wipe out the Australian whale watching industry then that will mobilize people even though it is all rubbish. 

The actions of the anti-whale lobby may have mobilized people in Australia but it has now also mobilized people in Japan which whaling has now become an issue of nationalism.  Additionally the Japanese government has now included whale meat in school lunches in show of solidarity with the whalers. If the anti-whaling people had actually approached this issue in a responsible and mature manner, the eating of whale meat probably would have naturally died off in Japan because the older people that grew up eating it would eventually age and pass away over the years. Now due to the anti-whale people, a whole new generation of Japanese children will now grow up eating whale meat.

Remember this all happening not because of environmental reasons, but because whales are cute and smart.  Kangaroos are cute but I guess they are just not smart enough for these people.  Not that I am complaining.