Amazon.com Removes Whale Products From Japan Website

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 and Humane Society International 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.

“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,” said Allan Thornton, president of EIA. “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,” said Kitty Block, vice president of Humane Society International “The public wants these animals protected rather than killed and sold for profit.”

Interviews, images and the full report are available on request from:
• Allan Thornton, president, EIA, allanthornton@eia-global.org; or telephone 202 483 6621; Cell 202 361 6941
• Katie Jarl, HSI media contact, kjarl@humanesociety.org or 301-258-1483