NGO COALITION URGES FAROE ISLANDS PM TO END WHALING

NGO  COALITION URGES FAROE ISLANDS PM TO END WHALING 

In response to the shocking slaughter of 267 pilot whales in Fuglafjørður, Faroe Islands, on July 30, following a kill of 125 the week before, a coalition of 13 international organisations including EIA have written to Faroe Islands Prime Minister Kaj Leo Holm Johannesen and Minister of Fisheries Jacob Vestergaard to register their extreme concern about the continued cruel and unnecessary killing of pilot whales.

The letter was also sent to the Chair of the Pilot Whalers Association and the local Chiefs of Police, all of whom have responsibilities for the hunts.
You can read the letter in full here. The signatory organisations are EIA, Animal Welfare Institute, Campaign Whale, Cetacean Society International, Dansk Dyreværn Århus, De Vilde Delfiner, Dyrenes Venner, GSM (Society for the Conservation of Marine Mammals), Humane Society International, Ocean Care, Pro Wildlife, Whale and Dolphin Conservation and World Society for the Protection of Animals.

The letter highlighted the mistakes made by those responsible for the conduct of Fuglafjørður hunt, mistakes which led to chaotic scenes of appalling cruelty and which expose the inherent problems associated with trying to achieving a quick, clean kill.

New regulations governing the hunt will be introduced on May 1, 2015 and the NGOs criticise the two-year wait for participants in the driving and killing of pilot whales to receive obligatory certification following training. They note that the introduction of new implements used to secure and kill the whales will not be effective in reducing suffering. Indeed, they have already been criticised by a panel of pro-whaling experts.

Faroe Islands Gaff Hook © EIA

The authors of the letter question the continued hunting of these creatures in the Faroe Islands and call for an end to pilot whaling, an activity that belongs only in history books, particularly as the pilot whales are so contaminated with toxic pollutants that the Faroese Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientist have warned that Faroese people should not eat the their meat and blubber.

Since the letters were sent, EIA has learnt that a further 100 whales were slaughtered in the Faroe Islands in yet another kill on August 8, 2013.

If you want to help play a part in calling on the Government of the Faroe Islands to put an end whaling, please visit our Action Alert page here for a sample protest letter and addresses for the Prime Minister and Minister of Fisheries.


Action alert: Tell Farose Govt to end slaughter of whales

August 5, 2013

Slaughtered pilot whales on the beach (via www.nordlysid.fo)


Many were angered and distressed by our coverage last week of the two most recent mass killings of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands and subsequently contacted us for guidance as to how best and most effectively protest the slaughter.

While there are a number of petitions regarding Farose whaling circulating on the internet, we believe that a direct protest to the Government of the Faroe Islands would have more impact.

The most appropriate state officials to contact regarding whaling on the Faroe Islands are the Prime Minister and the Minister of Fisheries; their respective postal and email addresses are:

 Faroe Islander in deep water as the pilot whales are herded to and stranded on the beach (via www.nordlysid.fo)

Prime Minister Kaj Leo Holm Johannesen
Løgmansskrivstovan
Tinganes
P.O.Box 64
FO- 110 Tórshavn
Faroe Islands

info@tinganes.fo

 Jacob Vestergaard
Minister of Fisheries
Bókbindaragøta 8
P.O. Box 347
FO-110 Tórshavn
Faroe Islands

fisk@fisk.fo



You can compose your own message to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Fisheries, or you can use/adapt the template letter we have provided below. In either case, we would urge that the content of all letters of protest be kept civil and respectful to ensure letters are taken seriously.

.
Dear Sir

I write to express my extreme concern about the slaughter of 267 pilot whales in Fuglafjørður on July 30, 2013 which followed a kill of 125 whales in Viðvik on July 22, 2013.

Reports of the Fuglafjørður kill in the Faroese media show chaotic scenes that must have subjected the individual whales to extreme distress, pain and suffering. It is unacceptable for a highly modern society to treat animals in this way.

I ask why the decision was made to allow the kills of such large numbers of whales to take place when historical evidence shows that it is highly likely that the whales will be exposed to unacceptable cruelty.

I understand that the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientist have issued a warning to people in the Faroe Islands not to eat pilot whale because of the significant threat to human health posed by the pollutants found in the meat and blubber. Why, therefore, are these hunts allowed to continue when the resulting products are a danger to consumers?

I urge you to listen to what your experts and the outside world are saying and end the hunting of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands.

Yours faithfully


(INSERT YOUR NAME)

For more background click here.

- See more at: http://www.economicvoice.com/ngo-coalition-urges-faroe-islands-pm-to-end-whaling/50039205#sthash.DbsnR4zX.dpuf

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While we do agree that a personalized letter or email is best, if you do not have the time to do so, signing these petitions is far better than taking no action at all. Thank you.

You can also take action by signing these petitions. Thank you for being the voice for Faroe Isles Pilot Whales! 

Petitioning European Parliament 
European Parliament: Stop dolphin and whale massacre in Denmark!
http://www.change.org/en-IN/petitions/european-parliament-stop-dolphin-and-whale-massacre-in-denmark

Please sign the petition: Stop Killing The Dolphins On The Faeroe Islands
http://www.theperfectworld.com/petitions/item/24-please-sign-the-petition

Petitioning Kaj Leo Johannesen 
End the Faroe Islands' Whale Slaughter!
http://www.change.org/petitions/end-the-faroe-islands-whale-slaughter

Petitioning Prime Minister of Denmark
Stop the unnecessary slaughter and torture of Calderon dolphins
in the Faroe Islands
by Gabriel Gauvin
http://tinyurl.com/99fn67x

DAYS TO STOP THE WHALE MASSACRE
http://www.avaaz.org/en/days_to_stop_the_whale_slaughter_global/

EDEKA AND THE WHALE SLAUGHTER
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/edeka_and_the_whale_slaughter/?wEPCocb

END THE FAROE ISLANDS WHALE & DOLPHIN KILLING FESTIVAL
http://www.causes.com/actions/1728109-end-the-faroe-islands-whale-dolphin-killing-festival

END THE FAROE ISLANDS WHALE & DOLPHIN SLAUGHTERS
http://www.unleashed.org.au/take_action/petitions/stop-the-faroe-islands-whale-slaughter/

PETITION TO END THE FAROE ISLANDS WHALE AND DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER
http://www.animalsaustralia.org/take_action/petitions/stop-the-faroe-islands-whale-slaughter

STOP THE BLOODY WHALE SLAUGHTER ON THE FAROE ISLANDS
https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=911

STOP THE TRADITIONAL SLAUGHTER OF DOLPHINS
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Stop_the_tradional_slaughter_of_dolphins

http://www.economicvoice.com/ngo-coalition-urges-faroe-islands-pm-to-end-whaling/50039205#sthash.DbsnR4zX.dpuf