Whales: An Endangered Species

• They have a commercial value, dead or alive
• A tourist attraction
• Whale meat and oil are used
• Cosmetics can be made from the waxy substance in their intestine

• International Whaling Commission (IWC) have struggled to get nations to agree to stop whaling.
• 1982, member nations declared to stop whaling, except for Norway
• Taking a small number of whales for scientifc research is allowed to be carries out by: Iceland, Japan and Faroe Islands

Some whales are kept in Captivity:

• Increases awareness of the animals and their problems
• Usually kept in small spaces 
• Usually used for entertainment purposes
• Captive breeding programmes allow the population to increase, they are then released into the wild
• There is still a lot we don't know about whales, research on captive whales will help us to better understand their needs, thus improving conservation