Amazon.com removes whale products from Japan website
LONDON, UK / WASHINGTON, DC: Internet giant Amazon.com appears to have removed all whale products from its wholly owned Japanese website overnight, following worldwide publicity that scores of whale products were offered for sale.
A new campaign launched yesterday by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Humane Society International (HSI) revealed that Amazon Japan not only sells products from endangered and protected whale species, but also products containing dangerous levels of mercury.
Worldwide publicity followed the release of the EIA report Amazon.com’s Unpalatable Profits and tens of thousands of people have taken action via Twitter, Facebook, HSI’s online petition, and sending protest emails to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
EIA Senior Campaigner Clare Perry said: “We welcome Amazon’s action to remove whale products from its Japanese website but urge Amazon to confirm it will enact a company-wide ban on the sale of all products derived from whales, dolphins or porpoises.”
Mark Jones, veterinarian and Executive Director of Humane Society International UK, said: “In just 24 hours, more than 35,000 HSI supporters have appealed to Amazon for a total ban on the sale of whale, dolphin and porpoise products. The public wants these animals protected rather than killed and sold for profit.”
Interviews, images and the full report are available on request from:
• Clare Perry, EIA Senior Campaigner, via [email protected] or telephone +34 664348821
• Wendy Higgins, HSI EU Communications Director, via [email protected] or telephone +44 (0)7989 972 423
EDITORS’ NOTES
1. The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) investigates and campaigns against environmental crime and abuses.
2. Humane Society International and its partner organisations together constitute one of the world’s largest animal protection organisations — backed by 11 million people. For nearly 20 years, HSI has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Visit HSI’s website at hsi.org.
3. Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1995, Amazon.com has its HQ in Seattle, USA, and has established subsidiary retail websites in the UK, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain.
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