Buy a whale

I was just speaking with Leah Garcés of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).

She apologised that our scheduled conference call was going to be interrupted, because the press has not stopped calling her all day, in relation to WSPA's bid for a whale's life on e-bay, which they launched today.

E-bay bid for a whale's life? How does this work, I asked?

Very simple:

The market price of a fin whale (like those killed in Iceland by the Hvalur HF company) is estimated at around US $ 180,000. So WSPA is inviting the public to re-buy a whale.

Once the bid is closed, WSPA says that they will offer the proceeds to the Icelandic government, if they agree to proportionately reduce their whale catches.

I am typing this while Leah is making a radio interview. She'll call me back after she's done, to continue our conversation. But it's such a good creative campaigning idea that I'm sure we will probably be interrumpted endlessly.