"The Whale" is almost extinct... # ... Many species of cetaceans are extremely numerous, just a few species are threatened with extinction, even though several of the larger whales have been greatly depleted, the grey whale in the Pacific, for instance, is now back at its original stock size. There are about 1 million minke whales now - in the South Pacific there are more than ever before, i.e. about 760,000 according to the 1989 survey. Most endangered are two species of river dolphins and the "vaquita" which only lives in the Gulf of California.
Modern industrial whaling has made several species extinct... #... Not true, no species has been made extinct, even though several species have been seriously depleted.
Marine mammals are more endangered than land mammals... # ...On the contrary, the situation for marine mammals on the whole, is better than that of land mammals. The greatest threat to wild animals is that man steals or ruins the areas where the animals live.
It is now generally accepted that the brain structures of man and the dolphin, both regarding size, the number and area of cerebral convolutions, and the cell structure, are more or less identical.(Leader of Greenpeace International's whale campaign for many years, Michael Gylling-Nielsen, 1987.)... # ... "In many respects... the cetacean brain is actually quite primitive. It retains all the structures found in primitive mammals, such as hedgehogs and bats. It shows none of the structural differences from area to area typical of advanced brains like those of primates. The regions of the cortex are not separated by so-called associative areas, but they do seem to be arranged in much the same order as we imagine they were in the ancestors of all mammals.(Dr. Margaret Klinowska, researcher at the Marine Mammal Unit of the University of Cambridge. New Scientist, October 29, 1989.)
The whale is an unquestionably intelligent creature (Greenpeace brochure 1993)... # ...There is no proof or indication that whales in general, or certain whale species in particular are in possession of intelligence distinguishing them from other animals. In his book "The Ecology of Whales and Dolphins", Canadian whale researcher D.E. Gaskin writes:"I cannot see that the experimental and objective behavioural observations support this supposition of high dolphin intelligence; in fact they frequently suggest the opposite.
The whale has a gentle nature (Greenpeace brochure, 1993)... # ... What about the killer whales (the orca)? They kill larger, slower-swimming whales and their young. Certain killer whales have specialized in catching young sea lions which they play with before finally killing them. Male whales of most species can behave aggressively towards each other.
The whale chooses a partner for life (Greenpeace brochure 1993)... # ... Geese are monogamous, whales are essentially unfaithful.
Each whale has a distinct personality (Greenpeace brochure 1993)... # ...The same thing can be said of all animals, irrespective of what species.
The products of today's whaling are soap, lipstick and shoe cream... # ...This was true 40 years ago, but not today. Today, good and reasonable substitutes have been found for whale oil in all industrial products which previously made use of it. Today, whaling is food production. The latest research results, however, show that whale oil has an even greater preventive effect on heart attacks and thrombosis than fish oil. Medicinal products are being developed.
There is no humane way to kill a whale (British Minister of the Environment Mr. John Gummer)... # ... Killing methods used in Norwegian whaling are more effective than most other types of hunt.