Not on Hogwart's table

May 31, 2007

Actress Miranda Richardson, who played roving reporter Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire travelled to Alaska this week to support the World Society for the Protection of Animals campaign to end whaling.

Reporting from the 59th annual International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting, she said: “WSPA’s message is anti-cruelty whatever animal we’re talking about; in this case we’re talking about whales. Whales are highly sophisticated, social, extraordinary creatures that are in our seas. The methods that are used to kill these whales are archaic, barbaric and unacceptable in our time.”

Explaining her support for WSPA, she added: “My concern is this is an extremely delicate time and anything that we can do, beginning with banning commercial whaling, will hopefully help to ensure their future. Whaling is inexcusable and causes almost unimaginable agony.”

Leah Garcés, Director of Programmes for WSPA, said: “Despite the ban, more that 2500 whales will be cruelly killed by Japan, Norway and Iceland this year alone. There is no humane way to kill a whale at sea and little market for this meat. Its continuation is nothing more than a political game, with the innocent victims being these majestic sentient marine mammals. ”

Also adding his voice to the campaign is Olympic rower James Cracknell. Cracknell, who recently rowed across the Atlantic, said: “Having been privileged to see whales in their natural habitat I am outraged to think of them being cruelly killed for commercial gain."