A Letter to the International Whaling Commission

Please e-mail secretariat@iwcoffice.org right now. Copy and paste the below and say you support this letter, or write your own, but either way, please demand change for the Bottlenose Dolphins and Pilot Whales, who need us to speak up for them.

Dear Members of the IWC Secretariat,

I have spent quite some time learning about the International Whaling Commission. I understand that, as of now, you do not have protections in place for whales such as the Bottlenose Dolphins and Pilot Whales that are currently netted in Taiji's killing cove in Japan (2 December, 2012). They await their fate in the morning. What is stopping us -- the world -- from saving all whales, regardless of size and regardless of the mouth make-up they have?

Per your website: "The 1946 Convention does not define a ‘whale’, although a list of names in a number of languages was annexed to the Final Act of the Convention. Some Governments take the view that the IWC has the legal competence to regulate catches of only these named great whales (the baleen whales and the sperm whale). Others believe that all cetaceans, including the smaller dolphins and porpoises, also fall within IWC jurisdiction."

Bottlenose Dolphins and Pilot Whales may be "smaller cetaceans," but they are, in fact, whales. I am among the "others" who believe that all cetaceans should be protected for the future of our planet. We are running out of time.

Please do what you can this very moment to urge Japan, a member of the IWC, to end Taiji's dolphin/whale hunts, live capture, and slaughter. This has gone on for far too long.

Respectfully,
Allison Cabellon
New York, NY

A Letter to Ellen DeGeneres

A handwritten version of this letter is going in the mail on Monday morning.

Dear Ellen,

My name is Allison Cabellon, and I have been a fan of yours for many years. I am writing to you on a Saturday night because I need your help as a fellow compassionate animal lover.

In 2010, you recommended on your website that visitors/viewers watch the documentary The Cove. Fast forward 2 years later, and the dolphin hunts and slaughter continue in Taiji, Japan. Last night, Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians livestreamed footage to the world. Three Risso dolphins* were captured for a life of captivity, and the rest of their family, 7 more Rissos, were killed. I will never forget the dolphins’ cries while watching The Cove. Last night’s cries will haunt me, too.

Ellen, can you help me – and all who care about animals – by asking Yahoo! to stop selling whale and dolphin meat on their websites? Amazon.com did. I am asking you not only because you care about animals but also because your show’s website, ellentv.com, appears to be hosted on Yahoo! Your powerful voice could make a big difference for the dolphins.

As of tonight, there are 128,617 people on Change.org who are calling for Yahoo! to stop selling whale and dolphin meat. “We can’t make change without knowing what we’re up against.” That is how you ended your website recommendation for watching The Cove. Now that we do know what we’re up against, let’s make the change.

Thank you,
Allison
New York, NY

*UPDATE: As reported by Melissa Sehgal on the October 24th live stream by Sea Shepherd, the three Rissos in captivity are not eating.