What about the Whales? - Portrait Magazine April 2008
What about the Whales?
By Elizabeth Waley
Isabel Lucas, Hayden Panettiere and a friend after their dolphin slaughter protest failed to save the pod.
Save The Whales! It's a phrase all of us have heard before. Whether you have caught a glimpse of footage on the news, seen a poster, or listened to a radio broadcast highlighting the crisis, you've gotten at least a small taste of the issue. But what exactly is it about these giants of the sea that has celebrities such as Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) and Isabel Lucas (Home and Away) taking action against whale (and dolphin) hunting? Truthfully, the answer to their choice to take action is only a mere head-scratch away.
Based on the research of the International Whaling Commission, who has estimated the populations of at least eight different whale species, the number of those remaining in any single location ranges from as low as 121 (Western North Pacific, Gray Whale) up to 780,000 (North Atlantic, Pilot Whale). With the countries of Iceland, Norway, and Japan hunting over 2,000 whales combined every year, species with populations in the hundreds are clearly put in danger of extinction, giving a solid reason for anyone who is informed to react.
Left: Mink Whale. Center: Humpback Whale. Right: A whale is harpooned.
The most recent expedition that stirred up controversy was Japan's advertised intention to hunt 900 minke whales, 50 fin whales, and most importantly, 50 humpback whales, a species that has been protected since the 1960's due to their population decreasing to 30 percent of its original size. The intentions behind the expedition are claimed to be scientific experiments which may in fact be possible to conduct without actually killing the whales. Upon the release of these facts, as well as those covering the slaughtering of dolphins, six protesters, including Panettiere and Lucas, made a joint decision to travel to Japan and protest through a surf and rescue mission.
Save the dolphine T-shirt available at Panettiere Closet
As teenagers and young adults, it would be quite unrealistic to have all of us drop our lives and buy a few dozen round-trip plane tickets to Japan to follow their lead while the government there gets the opportunity to dish out another set of arrest warrants, but that does not mean we have to be left powerless in contributing to the cause. As a follow-up to her concerns, Hayden Panettiere has begun to raise funds though a website titled Hayden Panettiere Closet which, as the title might imply, features the auctioning off of clothing that the young actress has donated directly from her personal closet. While I might add that some of the prices of these items can be a tad spendy (almost everything left is $100 or more), you might take note that there are two t-shirt designs available (one comes in three different colors) which are not part of the closet auction, but they can be snagged for $45-50 with an autograph or for $29.99-35.00 without an autograph.
Slaughtered Mink whale being pulled onto a whaling ship.
How else can contributing to a cause such as this pay off? Just ask Hayden. As of the Genesis Awards on March 29, an event done by the Humane Society of the United States, Panettiere is the recipient of the Wyler prize, an award to take quite seriously considering the legendary Paul McCartney was last year's recipient. The average person may not find themselves receiving something quite as press-worthy, but knowing that you helped sponsor the protection of an endangered species is a reward that can bring satisfaction to both common people and celebrities alike if you give the cause a chance.
Save the Whales Again campaign spokespersons Hayden Panettiere and Isabel Lucas are encouraging consumers worldwide to boycott Japanese made products until the slaughter of whales and dolphins is ended.
