A Win for Whales

According to a recent National Geographic article, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) gave an ultimatum to Japan that stated if they were to continue their hunt and slaughter of Sei Whales, they would be shut out of the legal wildlife trade. 

Apparently, Japan has a history of killing these magnificent ocean dwellers for "research purposes" and selling the meat to fund academic work. Upon further research, CITES discovered Japan was, in fact, primarily selling the meat for commercial purposes only. 

So happy to hear people are working to preserving and reviving this incredible species. Learn more about the Sei Whale and CITES.