Antarctic Whaling

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                    GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
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>> MV GREENPEACE HELICOPTER PILOT SAVES A WHALE

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The MV GREENPEACE crew have saved another minke whale from the Japanese harpoons in their latest in a week-long series of confrontations with the whaling fleet in the newly created whale sanctuary.

Earlier today, Greenpeace helicopter pilot Paula Huckleberry found the Japanese catcher boat Toshi Maru No. 18 chasing a minke whale just ahead of the catcher's bow.

Exclusive Greenpeace footage shows Huckleberry swooping down toward the scene, calling the whalers on VHF radio. 212KB GIF or 64KB JPG.

"Toshi Maru No. 18,this is the Greenpeace helicopter on your starboard side," Huckleberry told them. "Do not shoot the whale, move your crew away from the harpoon."

The whalers quickly lost interest in the hunt and the minke turned sharply and swam away.

Huckleberry is one of five US citizens onboard the MV Greenpeace who today wrote to US Vice President Al Gore's Internet address, asking him to formally protest to the Japanese Government. Vice President Gore last year publicly backed the establishment of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary.

The sanctuary was created by a vote of 23-1 with Japan completely isolated, at last year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Mexico. The Japanese fleet has continued its so-called "scientific" whale hunt -- the meat it produces retails in Tokyo's markets and restaurants for up to $US160 a pound. "Over the past 10 days we have shown the world what the Japanese whaling fleet does not want it to see --
147KB GIF or 44KB JPG minke whales killed in the name of science but flensed and processed for market," said Greenpeace whales campaigner Kieran Mulvaney onboard the MV GREENPEACE.

"Greenpeace will continue to put ourselves between the whalers and whales for as long as we can stay here in Antarctica," said Mulvaney. 168KB GIF or 51KB JPG,

"But we obviously can't stop the whale hunt by ourselves. It's up to the 23 governments and their citizens who created the sanctuary this year to convince Japan to stop its hunt and call back its whaling fleet."

For more information, please call: Kieran Mulvaney onboard the MV GREENPEACE ++872 1301346, or Desley Mather, Greenpeace Communications ++44 171 833 0600.

VIDEO FOOTAGE AVAILABLE FROM REUTERS TV AND WTN

• The letter to AL GORE
which you could mail yourself too.
• More details on Nisshin Maru, the mother ship of the whaling fleet.

• FEB 7; GP Boards Whaling Ship in NZ Waters
• FEB 10; Japanese Whalers Found in Antarctic Sanctuary
• FEB 13; GP Finds Whalers Refuelling in Antarctic Sanctuary. Here two pictures of Greenpeace protesting (JPEG 64KB) while refueling goes on between Oriental Falcon and Toshi Maru 25 (JPEG 50KB)
• FEB 14; GP Confronts Japanese Whalers Hunting in Sanctuary
• FEB 20; Japan Whalers Supply Ship in NZ
• MAR 18; GP Ship returns from Antarctic Whaling Protests

• Return to the Greenpeace International Home page