Whales are the biggest animals in the world. They are quiet and gentle. They live happily in the sea. But some countries hunt(捕杀) whales. Japan is one ofthem. Japan is an island country. Fishing is a big part of its culture. Some schools in Japan even cook whale meat for students.
▲ They are part of the ecological system (生态系统). Whales swim up and down. They bring up salt for plankton (浮游生物) to eat. Many animals and plants live on their poop (粪便). When they die, their bodies can feed small animals and bacteria (细菌) for as long as 100 years.
However, the number of whales is going down. Many people have hunted whales secretly. Fishermen from Japan, Norway and other countries hunt whales. Every year, they kill around 1,500 large whales. From 1986 to 2009, they killed 19,219 minke whales. Some whales have nearly died out because of hunting, such as blue whales. They are in great danger. How can we help them?
