(Click image to visit Tower School)
even though hunting them has been banned since 1966.
In addition, they plan to take 50 fin whales and 935 minke whales.
(Environmental News Service, Nov. 20, 2007
pdf file)
Children in classrooms around the world are joining forces in an effort to protect humpback whales, fin whales, and other whales from being taken by Japanese whalers now and in the future. Tower School in Marblehead, Massachusetts and St. Mary's Anglican Girls' School in Perth, Western Australia are spearheading this project. Bad environmental decisions are difficult, if not impossible, to undo. Support a permanent ban on this whaling policy.
NOTE: "The [Japanese] government has decided to suspend hunts of humpback whales while talks to normalize IWC is taking place," Machimura said, adding the suspension would last a year or two. "But there will be no changes to our stance on our research whaling itself." (USA Today, 12/21/07) http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/environment/2007-12-21-japan-whaling_N.htm
Join Operation Humpback Help It's as easy as 1..., 2..., 3...
1. Make origami whales in class or at home 2. Display origami whales and email your friends and family to share the project and 3. Mail the whales in May to let your voices be heard.  (Click image above to see more pictures from participants.)
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What: Join Operation Humpback Help
This is a student campaign to save the Humpback and Fin whales targeted by the Whaling fleets in the Southern Hemisphere.
Rather than simply sign a petition, let's combine Japanese origami with student messages from around the world. Make pods of 50 (the number of humpbacks and fins Japanese whalers plan to kill this year) origami whales, string them together, and write notes on them.
When: Make your origami whales anytime, and enjoy them in your classroom. Contact us and even send us pictures so that we can post them on this site.
To make a big splash to support the ban on hunting humpback whales before the IWC (International Whaling Commission) meets in Chile this summer, mail the whales between May 1 and May 15.
Where:
Dr. William Hogarth
Chairman of the International Whaling Commission
NMFS, NOAA
1315 East West Highway
SSMC3, Rm 14636
Silver Spring, MD 20910
United States
Or
The Honorable Ryozo Kato
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States
2520 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
How:
To show Japan and the world that kids care about humpbacks and the environment, email this URL to at least 3 friends or relatives (This is very important to the success of this project.) in different schools, different states, or even different countries. (http://whale.wheelock.edu/OperationHumpback/) Let's make Operation Humpback Help a GLOBAL INITIATIVE.
Why Help:
"They are an important part of our environment and we don't want it to get out of balance." Kayjsa, grade 3
"They are part of our environment and if we don't care for them, well, it will be worse for the planet." Maddie, grade 3
"We saw them on our whale watch and it was fun." Bianca, grade 4
Finally: What do I do?
We would like to keep a count of the number of whales made so as you complete your origami whales, PLEASE send us an email with: the teacher's name and grade; the school; the city, state and country; and, the number of origami whales constructed. Also, let us know where you will send the whales in May. The information will be posted on this site.
Click to download printable Origami Whale Instructions (pdf),
(doc)
IWC Educational Information on Whales
Humpback Whale Information Links
Educational Resources on Whales
Appreciating and Learning About LIVE Whales on a Whale Watch
In the NEWS:
A Case For Killing Humpback Whales?
Nicholas J. Gales, Phillip J. Clapham, C. Scott Baker
Comments of the Killing of Humpback and Fin Whales.
Japan dropped the planned taking of 50 humpbacks - which have been off-limits to commercial hunting since 1966 - at the behest of the United States, the chair of the International Whaling Commission, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura. "The government has decided to suspend hunts of humpback whales while talks to normalize IWC is taking place," Machimura said, adding the suspension would last a year or two. "But there will be no changes to our stance on our research whaling itself." (USA Today, 12/21/07) http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/environment/2007-12-21-japan-whaling_N.htm
The Japanese will attempt to take 50 fin whales, which (like the sei and sperm whales) are listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union and by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They also plan to hunt 50 humpback whales, the social and charismatic species that is a favorite of the billion-dollar worldwide whale watching industry. They're known for "songs" that can last up to 24 hours, and they travel across thousands of miles. A recent study by geneticists published in the journal Science estimates their pre-whaling population at 1.5 million. Today, humpbacks may number less than 30,000. (Los Angeles Times, December 3, 2007) http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-heller3dec03,1,7742785.story?coll=la-news-comment
Just recently, the Japanese began a humpback whale hunt, a move that has sparked international furor among those who oppose whaling. BBC News recently reported that a Japanese whaling fleet set sail for the South Pacific to harpoon humpback whales for the first time in decades, with a goal of up to 1,000 whales, including 50 humpbacks. By Gail McCarthy, GLOUCESTER DAILY TIMES (GLOUCESTER, Mass. December 07, 2007) http://www.alliednews.com/statenews/cnhinsall_story_341231239.html
Polling in Japan found while 69 per cent of Japanese people opposed whaling, most were unaware of the reality of Japanese whaling conduct. (The Daily Telegraph, December 10, 2007) http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22896853-5001021,00.html
Making Origami Whales
| Organization Links:
American Cetacean Society (www.acsonline.org) |
Partner Schools:
Tower School |
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