Eco
Volume LXIV · Panama City, Panama · No. 3 · Wednesday July 4, 2012
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Yahoo! Sells Endangered Whales Online
The website Yahoo! has been condemned by three environmental groups for selling whale and dolphin products online. The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), Humane Society International (HSI) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) are urging the public to contact Yahoo! to protest their support of this bloody and illegal slaughter of marine mammals for commerce in violation of the moratorium on commercial whaling and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
“Yahoo! continues to ignore international outrage over the sale of whale and dolphin products via its Japanese website, even as it continues to profit from the slaughter of whales and dolphins,” explained EIA President Allan Thornton.
Research by the groups discovered 249 different whale and dolphin meat offerings on the Yahoo! Japan website for sale. These included endangered fin whale meat, imported to Japan from Iceland in violation of CITES and the whaling moratorium.
“Yahoo! should respect international laws rather than offering market access to those who want to profit from flouting these protective agreements,” said Kitty Block, vice president of HSI.
“We appeal to Yahoo! to follow Amazon’s lead and stop the sale of all whale and dolphin products,” added Taryn Kiekow, staff attorney for NRDC. “By selling these products, Yahoo! Japan is condoning the slaughter of internationally recognized endangered and protected species. Whale meat is not only unsafe for human consumption, it is a travesty for the biological diversity of our oceans.”