Palin angers whale conservationists
Friday, January 16. Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin plans to sue the US government for listing beluga whales (pictured) in the Cook Inlet as an endangered species. The former vice-presidential candidate says the government did not take into account actions Alaska has already taken to protect the species before it declared the whales as endangered.
Palin is also opposed to the whales' new status as it will harm major Alaskan development projects. The Centre for Biological Diversity which lobbied to have the whales protected under the Endangered Species Act has criticised Palin's opposition, saying: "Governor Palin seems more than willing to sacrifice endangered whales on the altar of oil companies."
This is not the first time the 45-year-old has threatened to sue the government for trying to protect an endangered species. In August 2008, Palin filed a lawsuit attempting to overturn federal protection of the polar bear.
Meanwhile on eBay, the famous Sarah Palin Hallowe’en mannequin is up for sale, complete with the noose from which it was hung by the neck outside a California house during the 2008 presidential election. Bidding starts at $1,000 for an "amazing piece of political memorabilia".
FIRST POSTED JANUARY 16, 2009
American Transition: all the news and comment as Obama prepares for the White House
|  |
 |
ADVERTISEMENT
Comments
Hide comments
Sarah Palin is correct. Listen we all love animals, especially cute whales that look like they are smiling. However, we have to manage them. What that means is keeping wildlife at healthy levels and making sure the endangered ones are protected until they have healthy populations. In America we once nearly wiped out the Eagle, but now they are plentiful. The Beluga whale is endangered in some parts of the world, but not in Alaska, not even close. I think the environmentalists need to concentrate on those areas. Overall, Alaska does an excellent job at managing its wildlife and has the healthiest populations in North America.
Posted by Joe Lawson at 2:25am on January 17, 2009
Add comment
You must be signed into your user account to add a comment.