`VIRTUAL' CONCERN: Greenpeace activists taking up an educative campaign in Hyderabad on Wednesday against the killing of whales. Photo: Satish H.

HYDERABAD: Hyderabadis like their counterparts in nine other cities are part of the first-ever `Virtual March' being organised by Greenpeace, an NGO, to save whales.

As part of the virtual march campaign launched in different parts of the city on Monday, the photographs of those opposing commercial whaling were being taken along with their messages and would be uploaded to the Greenpeace website. The virtual march comprising thousands of people around the globe would be then projected in Ulsan, South Korea, on June 19 where the 57th International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting would be held from June 20 to 24.

The Direct Dialogue Coordinator of Greenpeace, Hyderabad, Poonam Pandit, said that a range of people from children to their grandparents were lodging protests against whaling through this campaign. "We plan to upload about 500 pictures of local people supporting the cause of whales and 5,000 from India."

Significance of protest

"Millions of whale-lovers from around the world are opposed to whaling but are unable to come in person to Ulsan. With this march, Greenpeace will bring them across `virtually' and ensure that the attending world governments at IWC see their opposition," says Greenpeace International.

In the IWC, delegates would decide whether or not to end the moratorium on commercial whaling. India, which voted against the whaling, was one of the first countries to set up a whale sanctuary in the Indian ocean.

"But we need the whole world to join us and defend the whales," the activists said.

The protest assumes significance as South Korea threatened to support Japan's objective to return to killing of whales for profit and thereby push for resumption of commercial whaling.

Greenpeace activists said that over 2,000 whales could be killed this year using the excuse of scientific research. The figure would increase if the Korean Government returned to being a whaling country.

The Korean Government also proposed to build a whale meat factory to process whales caught as bycatch. "As it is, Korea `accidentally' catches 100 times more whales than any other non-whaling country," they point out.

All lovers of marine mammals can do their bit and join the virtual march.

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