Scientific research on animals is necessary.  It helps advance our understanding of thier habits and in some cases, helps to work towards preserving-even saving, a species.  It is therefore challenging to accept that in efforts to help animal populations, scientists often kill several members of a species to gain this valuable data.

The scientific community has been granted legal permission to kill animals in pursuit of this information.  This practice is especially prevalent in the research of whales and Japan’s research community has come under fire for the number of whales they terminate in their research practices.

Activists and preservation have long demanded that scientists find a way to collect their data that leaves animals alive, healthy and functional.  As it is not a legal issue, the pressure for these practices to change must come from elsewhere.  WWF delegation head and International Species Programme Director Dr Susan Lieberman, called on Japan in particular to recognise that science has progressed significantly since a provision allowing governments to issue lethal research permits was written into the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) and to explore new, less damaging options.

New Zealand’s NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric research) claims that they have accomplished their research goals without harming a single mammal.  The internationally crewed ship “Tangaroa” pulled into port recently and announced it was able to use entirely non-lethal methods to collect a wealth of data on the feeding, mating and migration habits of whales on a recent trip to the Antarctic.

Australian Environment Protection Minister Peter Garrett said yesterday the expedition had achieved significant milestones.

“The research undertaken on this expedition indicates that there are effective and achievable ways to collect a whole range of important whale data without the need to kill these mammals.”

NIWA is now issuing a challenge to Japanese researchers to match this methodology and complete zero mortality research projects.  For example,  Auckland University biological scientist Rochelle Constantine explains that simple and non-invasive skin samples reveal the sex of a whale, which whales in a group it was related to and which whale population it was from. Similarly gentle blubbler samples tell scientists about the make-up of a whale’s diet.

The Japanese Government-sponsored Institute of Cetacean Research has said the expedition will have little impact on their policy of killing whales – as many as 1000 a year –for research.

“The Japanese have not embraced the new technologies. There’s more and more you can do from a small tissue sample. It lays down the challenge to Japan that you don’t need to kill whales to research them.”

A June meeting of an International Whaling Commission will see the results from the voyage presented with the hopes that it will encourage other nations to engage in zero mortality research.

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