TOKYO: Japan killed 122 pregnant minke whales during a highly controversial annual whaling expedition that Tokyo defends as scientific research but conservationists call "gruesome and unnecessary." Of those, 122 were pregnant, according to the Japanese report, with dozens more immature whales among those killed. Humane Society International, a conservationist group, called the figures "a shocking statistic and sad indictment on the cruelty of Japan's whale hunt." Japan is a signatory to the International Whaling Commission, which has maintained a moratorium on hunting whales since 1986. Tokyo cancelled the hunt the following year, but resumed it in 2016, also killing around 300 minke whales.

Source: Bangkok Post May 31, 2018 04:30 UTC