whaling

Guest Post: The Australian Whaling Claim

by William Fotherby

Will is a graduate of the University of Auckland and a solicitor at Bell Gully.  In 2008, he was one of the editors-in-chief of the Auckland University Law Review.

Australia has taken its campaign to end Japanese whaling to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).  The Australian statement of claim, dated 31 May 2010, alleges that Japan is in breach of its obligations under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW).  It seeks an order revoking any permits by which Japan has conducted scientific whaling in the Antarctic and assurances from Japan that it will not conduct similar activities in the future.  New Zealand, among other countries, has indicated that it will look seriously at joining this court action.  This, after attempts to reach a political solution at the IWC’s annual meeting, in Agadir, Morocco, failed. Continue reading →

Links for June 2010

Looking back over the month that was…

• Whaling remains controversial; while some talk compromise, others call for human rights for whales.  Obama is accused of supporting whale slaughter.  Australia heads to the ICJ, and New Zealand struggles to catch up.  Still others criticise the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for, apparently, cutting New Zealander Peter Bethune loose, on trial in Japan.  Is whaling in the balance?
• The Florida Gulf oil spill has put the brown pelican back on the brink of extinction.
• On Human-Nonhuman Relations continues to add new dimensions to the animal rights discourse, now stressing the importance of language.
• Great advances!  Mankind has created the first…mathematical…model…of…cow…behaviour.  Um.
• I couldn’t make it up: ‘Hippopotamus on menu at Beijing zoo‘.
• Crafar Farms is still making news (‘Mr Norman earlier said the top-level visit would add pressure from China to win approval for a bid to buy thousands of hectares of dairy farm land from the Crafar family.’).  Nandor Tanzcos editorialises.  Prime Minister John Key’s blind trust has invested in…the Dairy Investment Fund.
• The link between cruelty to animals and to humans receives more comment.
• Interesting links between veg(etari)anism and empathy.
• Worldwatch criticises food waste (such as omnivorous diets?).
• Another year, another animal law course, another article on the growth of AnimalLaw (via AnimalBlawg).
• Mike King reprises his attack on the NZ pork industry.

Links Roundup: ‘Quick, let’s do some research!’ Edition

Let’s just start with something that isn’t totally about animal rights.  Some of you might remember me linking to GreenIsTheNewRed articles about non-violent activists being labelled terrorists.  Well, things are at a bit of the 180 now.  An English member of the European Parliament, Godfrey Bloom, has congratulated the French spies who bombed the Rainbow Warrior in the Waitemata Harbour. John Key PM refused to comment.

And we expect the government to get ‘tough‘ on animal welfare?  John, I’m appalled.

• Meanwhile, as Bloom celebrates the sinking of a Greenpeace vessel and Key dithers, Japanese whalers have again rammed a Sea Shepherd vessel in the Southern Ocean.
• Oh, and whaling isn’t the only animal-based ‘research’ that doesn’t really…work.
• For example, Iran has launched ‘a rodent, turtles and worms to 500 kilometres above the Earth‘.  Apparently, this will either help Iran launch astronauts into space, or…launch ballistic missiles.  I’m not entirely sure how orbital animals could be weaponised…
• But we need ‘research’, or else we wouldn’t have worked out all the great things we can do to meat before it hits the supermarket.
• Gary Francione has posted numerous excellent pieces recently.  He has: Continue reading →