Freeing Willy Was Not Enough

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Why is the whale endangered?7 out of the 11 species of great whales are endangered.

Why, You Ask? Whaling: The mass killing of whales for

monetary gain. Fishing Gear: Each year thousands of

whales swim into fishing nets meant to capture small fish such as herring or tuna.

Ship Collisions: Many whales collide with large ships and are seriously injured or killed.

Habitat Degradation: The contamination of the whale’s home threatens their well-being. This includes garbage, chemicals, and noise.2 3

Commercial WhalingIn 2006 Greenpeaceconducted a survey todetermine whether

peopleagree or disagree withcommercial whaling.

The Results?

Nobody really knows.4

Why Should I Care?The Environment The Human SpeciesWhales are unlike any

other mammal. They are majestic creatures.

Whales are part of a functioning ecosystem. Their extinction would have tremendous negative implications.

Whales have a complex feeding system. Without them all of the marine life would suffer.

Eating whale meat can be extremely harmful and toxic.

Whales eat the infected fish at the bottom of the sea, safeguarding humans from eating this fish.

Whales provide economic benefits to numerous countries that partake in “Whale-Watching”.

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How old do you have to be to care?

I asked one simple question.

Are you willing to make small changes to your lifestyle to help save the whales?

Here are the results inpercentages.

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How can you save the whales?Visit

www.savethewhales.orgCut up your beer! 6-pack

plastic rings harm the whales, cut them up before you recycle.

Pick up garbage when you see it, especially near the ocean.

Never release balloons outside.

To all you Fishermen: Never discard used fishing line and hooks in the water!

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Dolphins Are Our Cousins!

Dolphins are also endangered. They are killed for consumption in many third world countries.

Check out my good friend Stefan Austermühle’s website to find out about the illegal dolphin killing in Peru. www.mundoazul.org

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References1. Photograph of Dead Whales. from, http://www.thedolphinsoflosgigantes.org/images/whaling.jpg2.Why is the whale endangered? Earth Day Canada. from, http://www.ecokidsonline.com/pub/eco_info/topics/whales/habitat_degradation.cfm 3. Photograph of Beluga Whale.from, http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/ht_beluga_whale1_061022_ssh.jpg4. Commercial Whaling SurveyGreenpeace. 2006. from,http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/

whalingpoll-japan.pdf5. Why should I care?Why Whales? 1996. from, http://csiwhalesalive.org/csiwhy.html6. WWF Campaign Poster.from, http://assets.panda.org/img/original/web_wwf_fluke_1.jpg7. How can you save the Whales? + Picture of Killer Whalefrom, http://www.savethewhales.org/you_can_do.html8. Picture of Bottlenose Dolphinfrom, http://www.savethewhales.org/bottlenose.html