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Russian Orcas Face New Attack!

Wednesday, April 21, 2004
RUSSIA - As springtime melts the ice around the edges of the Okhotsk Sea and the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's far eastern waters, orca captors are once again preparing to round up orcas for the captive industry. As you will recall, in 2003 one orca was captured and another was killed during capture operations. The young captured female was taken to a facility on the Black Sea where she died within a month. Despite the tragic outcome, the government of the Russian Federation has issued permits for the capture of 6 more orcas in 2004. The only thing that will stop these captures is an oupouring of opinion.

Please write to Russia's President Putin and Minister of Natural Resources Artyukov asking them to revoke the permit which has been issued for the capture of 6 orcas in the Kamchatka area and Sea of Okhotsk.

Here is the contact information:

Vitaly G. Artyukhov,
Minister of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation,
Fax: +7 (095) 254 66 10; +7 (095) 254 43 10
Email: root@ecocom.ru - admin@mnr.gov.ru

Vladimir Putin
President of the Russian Federation,
Email: president@gov.ru

Here is a sample letter:

TO: Vladimir Putin,
President of the Russian Federation

TO: Vitaly G. Artyukov,
Minister of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation

RE: STOP RUSSIAN ORCA CAPTURES IN KAMCHATKA

Please revoke the permit (decree of 12 November 2003, #1644-r) allowing the capture of 6 orca whales in Eastern Kamchatka zone and the Sea of Okhotsk in 2004. Two orcas died in the captures of 2003: one juvenile orca drowned in the nets, and one female that was transported to the Utrish Dolphinarium on the Black Sea lived only two weeks in captivity.

Orcas are highly evolved, intelligent, and bonded for life in their family pods. The orca population of Kamchatka is just recently being studied in the wild, and it is totally unacceptable to subject these whales to any further violent capture attempts, and likely death.

The world will applaud your action to stop the captures and protect the whales of Kamchatka.

Sincerely,

The situation is extremely urgent. Please help, and please ask others to help too!