Dear Susan, January 15, 2008
It's taken 8 weeks, but we found them!
The Japanese whalers thought they would escape us. Using the cover of darkness and help from the Japanese navy, they gave us the slip as they departed Japanese waters eight weeks ago. Then came some tough luck for Greenpeace when we had to leave our helicopter, Tweety, behind in New Zealand for repairs. But even in the vast and unforgiving Southern Ocean, against all odds, we've tracked down the whalers.
Some would call that luck. I call it fate.
Now, we've got them on the run. We've been tailing the factory ship Nisshin Maru for 5 days now and we've literally chased them out of their hunting grounds. As long as the factory ship is on the run, the fleet can't conduct any whaling.
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If they do try to start whaling, we're ready to do what we do best - to place ourselves between the whales and the grenade-tipped harpoons of the whalers. We'll use high-powered water pumps from the back of our boats to create a curtain of water and shield the whales from the harpooners' view.
We're doing our part to protect the whales here in the Southern Ocean. Now it's your turn. You don't have to place yourself in harm's way to protect whales but you can take action now.
We need YOUR help to ask President Bush to demand that Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda immediately abandon this illegal and unnecessary whaling operation and to spread the word to your friends and family. The fight to defend the whales has never been more urgent.
Please, take action and support our efforts to defend the whales. I promise to keep in touch with you over the coming days and weeks as we work tirelessly to protect the whales. Thank you for the support you've given us already, and I hope we can continue to rely on you.
Sincerely,
heath
Heath Hanson
Boat Driver
P.S. We will continue posting photos, videos and personal blogs about our experiences here protecting the whales. Be sure to visit our site often for updates.
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More News on Whales:
If you haven't already heard, thanks in large part to our pressure, the Japanese government has already agreed to abandon plans to kill threatened humpback whales this year. While this is good news for humpbacks, we won't rest until the nearly one thousand whales still being targeted by the Japanese government are safe.
Sound Science:
In the weeks en route to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, we have been conducting research to prove that the best way to learn about whales is to study their lives. Read more about our research and listen to the first ever recordings of humpback whales feeding in the Southern Ocean. Watch a video of Heath and the whales.
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