'Steve Irwin' to Save Whales

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Steve Irwin is the last hope for the Whales after new government backs out of election promise.

This morning, in the grey swells of the Southern Ocean, a pirate ship will enter the waters of the Australian Antarctic Territory. It is a black ship, bearing a black pirate flag, the 'Jolly Roger'. For the past five days it has sailed south, so that it can take position and wait for the Japanese Whaling fleet.

It is the Steve Irwin, the Sea Shepherd's fast 53 metre former fisheries protective services vessel that will stand between the whales and the Japanese death fleet.

It's tough captain, Paul Watson, is well known for physical intervention. Sea Shepherd is not going down to wave flags or take photos . . it will intervene directly to stop this illegal activity.

Peter Garrett, the Minister for the Environment, made the pre-election promise to send down our own navy, but this was not followed through after the election, leaving Sea Shephard and Steve Irwin to stand in the way of the fleet.

The Japanese fleet set out last month to start its whaling program intent on killing 1000 whales including including 50 endangered humpback whales and 10 endangered fin whales in the Southern Oceans.

In Africa, if you kill an endangered species, you are a poacher. If you shoot black rhinos or pandas, you are a poacher. But we still do nothing.

The Japanese fleet will do this in our own exclusion zone because the Australian government will not act and risk trade with Japan.

Founder and President of Sea Shepherd, Captain Paul Watson, shows the courage that we all must have.

“I did not establish the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as a protest organisation,” said Captain Watson. “I have not gone to sea over all these years to simply bear witness to the atrocities that whalers continue to inflict upon the most gentle and intelligent beings in the seas.”

“We arent here to protest . . we’re here to stop people killing whales.”

“You don’t go down the street and watch a dog being kicked to death and do nothing. You don’t sit there and watch a whale being harpooned and killed and do nothing except take its picture.”

For more information and how to support the Sea Shepherd please visit www.seashepherd.org/migaloo or www.seashepherd.org

You can also contact Peter Garrett, the Minister for Environment and express your views at www.alp.org.au/people/nsw/garrett_peter.php