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Australia’s Kangaroo Cull Draws Japanese Ire
March 18, 2008 11:10 AM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Japan has ridden out protests againts its whaling activities and now accuses Australia of hypocrisy on account of a plan to exterminate 400 kangaroos.
30-Second Summary
Every year Japan sends boats to Antarctica to, according to Tokyo, capture whales for research.
However, critics say that the scientific rationale is nothing but a front for commercial whaling.
This whaling season has been marked by repeated confrontations between conservation groups such as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Japanese vessels.
Tensions recently came to a head when the crew of the boat The Steve Irwin sent protesters to board one of Japan’s boats and threw rancid butter and stink bombs. The Irwin’s captain claims he was subsequently shot at.
There are reports that Japan’s fleet expects to catch about 300 fewer whales because of the Irwin’s actions.
The Japanese media has responded by reporting heavily on Australia’s plan to kill 400 kangaroos. Pundits have claimed that it is hypocritical to condemn Japan for its activities in the Antarctic, only to slaughter hundreds of animals that are supposed to be protected by federal law.
Canberra says its plan is part of an effort to save native grasslands and other flora. To some animal rights activists, that sounds no more convincing than Tokyo's line on the whale "research."
A number of prominent individuals are opposing the kangaroo cull. But Peter Garrett, Australia’s Environmental Minister, has defended the plan.
Bolo’s blog agrees with Garett, writing that whaling and the kangaroo cull are fundamentally different because the former involves an endangered species, while the latter is a response to overpopulation.
However, critics say that the scientific rationale is nothing but a front for commercial whaling.
This whaling season has been marked by repeated confrontations between conservation groups such as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Japanese vessels.
Tensions recently came to a head when the crew of the boat The Steve Irwin sent protesters to board one of Japan’s boats and threw rancid butter and stink bombs. The Irwin’s captain claims he was subsequently shot at.
There are reports that Japan’s fleet expects to catch about 300 fewer whales because of the Irwin’s actions.
The Japanese media has responded by reporting heavily on Australia’s plan to kill 400 kangaroos. Pundits have claimed that it is hypocritical to condemn Japan for its activities in the Antarctic, only to slaughter hundreds of animals that are supposed to be protected by federal law.
Canberra says its plan is part of an effort to save native grasslands and other flora. To some animal rights activists, that sounds no more convincing than Tokyo's line on the whale "research."
A number of prominent individuals are opposing the kangaroo cull. But Peter Garrett, Australia’s Environmental Minister, has defended the plan.
Bolo’s blog agrees with Garett, writing that whaling and the kangaroo cull are fundamentally different because the former involves an endangered species, while the latter is a response to overpopulation.
Headline Links: Japan upset over kangaroo cull
Japan has protested the Australian government’s decision to kill 400 kangaroos to protect grasslands, a plan that has angered conservation officials and celebrities. “It is hypocritical that Peter Garrett is running an anti-whaling campaign, and yet is allowing hundreds of kangaroos to be killed to make room for a housing development,” said actress Fiona Corke.
Source: The Daily Telegraph
As part of its annual research mission, Japan planned to capture 850 minke whales, 50 fin whales and 50 humpback whales by the end of the month. Criticism from other countries led Japan to stop hunting humpbacks, and now the country’s Fisheries Agency is saying 500 or 600 whales will probably be caught.
Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Reaction: Sea Shepherd claims victory, whales and kangaroos are different and ‘eco-loons’ at it again
The Steve Irwin has ended its campaign against Japanese vessels, according to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Despite criticism, the group claims in a press release to be content with the effects of their efforts: “While our critics were condemning and denouncing us, we were saving the lives of whales, and that fact alone is worth all the condemnations the politicians can throw at us.” Next, the society plans to save harp seal pups.
Source: The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
A blogger known as Bolo says Japan’s whaling practices and the kangaroo cull are two completely different issues, since there are too many kangaroos and the whales are endangered. Bolo further states that it would better if the culled kangaroos were used to feed humans instead of dogs.
Source: Bolo’s Blog
On Rok Drop, a military blog in South Korea, blogger GI Korea wrote in December that the Australian government is just appeasing “eco-loons.” According to the blog, “It seems very hypocritical that the western nations that were responsible for whales reaching the point of extinction in the first place due to the heavy demand of whale oil, are condemning Japan now for the low level of whaling they continue to do.”
Source: ROK Drop
Related Topic: Second career for Australia’s environmental minister
Australia’s Minister for the Environment Peter Garrett was once the lead singer of Midnight Oil, whose biggest hit in the United States was probably the 1987 song “Beds are Burning.” He became a member of parliament in 2004, representing an area near Sydney. On his site, he says the kangaroo overpopulation can actually hurt the animals because “it may cause many to starve to death.”
Source: Peter Garrett official home page
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