Of course, they're huge likable mammals, that alone means they have it easier. That's why people will protest against butchering of whales, seals, pandas, elephants... but your unique reptile or insect can't rely on public opinion to do much.

You don't know shit about the "shopkeepers".

THEY EAT WHALES DOWN THERE I DEMAND JUSTICE

... or just ice ?

yes I have acted to protect dangerous venomous snakes and stopped "fieldies" killing them when working out in the bush

@ DJ Shocktrop all I am saying is boycott the South Korean and Japanese product or service, & buy a "kerosene powered" New Zealand produced TV or whatever instead
or even an item produced in your own damn country rather than the cheap import

How about boycotting the US? They kill people all over the globe. Hmmm but it's true that we're not an endangered species. Oh well, carry on.

NO dont boycott their products. you may as well boycott products that contain any other meat or meat deriviative. And the country that has allowed the business to sell the goods. Whales are a resource for us humans to use as are every other food source and natural resource such as oil.

Yawn.

I love whales. They're delicious.

@uly - Kentucky and Ohio have some native wildlife protection laws that also serve to protect some very rare snakes, including this dude - http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i25/PhilPeak/lyonsking2.jpg - a scarlet kingsnake. I found one (not this one) when he was slithering around our flowbeds hunting frogs one evening in front of our house. They are one cool looking snake.

Well, that was pretty much my point although it went through confusingly. The protection of "unpopular" creatures falls on the shoulder of ecological NGOs, government or people really into wildlife protection, because public opinion just doesn't care.

MajorMitchell: Well I actually happen to own a scientific poaching company. Are you trying to tell me that I'm using propaganda?

@ JECE I do not have enough information about your company & it's activities to make a decision
what do you mean by a scientific poaching company ?
Poaching, by definiton is the illegal capture of animals, so how can that be acceptable ?

here's a domestic example from Australia
Native Aboriginals in certain locations have the right to kill Dugongs as a
"traditional food" Now I accept that in principle, but I do not think using an Aluminium "tinnie" with Outboard motor and Shotgun to hunt and catch the Dugongs is an acceptable "Traditional method of hunting the Dugongs" and that's where I have a problem with what occurs.
I expect them to use a bark canoe and spears, for example, to hunt the Dugong.

So South Korea's claim that their fishermen have "Traditional right" to hunt Minke Whales for food might have some credibility if they were using "Traditional Hunting methods and technologies"
But it's a bit farcical to make the "traditional use" argument if you are using the technology of the modern Industrial Fishing Industry.

Similarly,the Japanese "Scientific Whaling" program has been shown to be corrupt,
whale meat identified by DNA as coming from Whales hunted for "Scientific research"
turning up in restaurants in Japan and America,
and what do the Japanese Authorities do when "whistleblowers" reveal the corruption---
subject the whistleblowers to criminal prosecution, and protect the corrupt & real criminals

@uly - Agreed. I take great care of all the environment cause I love wildlife in all forms. OK, maybe not so much the cockroaches, ants, moscquitos, termites, and some of the spiders and wasps, but pretty much all other forms. And the ones I mentioned are hardly endangered. :-)

MajorMitchell: I was making a joke, making fun of the concept of 'scientific whaling'.