Japan resumes Antartic whales hunt. Tradition or brutality?

Japan resumes Antartic whales hunt.

Tradition or brutality?

On 1st December Japan restarted its "scientific whaling" programme after a year-long hiatus. The hunt is expected to kill 333 whales. To carry out this mission a Japanese whaling fleet set sail for the Antarctic at the beginning of December. Last year, they couldn’t do this “lethal research” because the UN (United Nations) proved that it was a cover for commercial whaling and that they had no proven scientific merit. However, this year despite all the international pressure and as Australia said in “a whale sanctuary” of the Antartic, they have set their fleet there. What do you think about this “scientific research”? For Japan, hunting wales is a tradition, is this tradition, a tradition that should be banned?

First of all, it's true that scientists do many researches with animals, because we couldn’t cure for example a cancer proving with humans, because we would kill ourselves. It’s for that reason that they use lab mice to first try to find the cure and then they begin to administer the drug in humans. Nevertheless, why shouldn't we do it in whales? Firstly, because they are species that can’t reproduce as fast as lab mid do. Secondly, because they are at risk of extinction. Thirdly, because it’s unnecessary to kill an animal of thousands of tones to do a research. And, most important, because they are an important element in the food chain.

Like a lot of traditions that imply hunting animals only because it’s a tradition and that in reality they don’t need its food to survive, I reckon that is not a wise tradition. Or like in Spain that we have a tradition which consists of fighting with a bull on the arena, humbling it and then killing it; or running with a dozen of them beating them with sticks.

All in all, maybe my opinion is influenced by the fact that I'm an animal-loving person, but I don’t think that we are in the Middle Ages when people needed to kill whales to survive. That is why I would like to ask humankind for something: stop these brutalities! as we keep on maintaining these stupid traditions we'll put an end to our world, especially to certain endangered species, and I reckon we should preserve our planet as healthy as we can for future generations.