Your opportunity to save the gray whales!

On May 22nd, members of the public have been invited to join a peaceful protest outside of the European Bank's Annual General Meeting in London.

The critically endangered western Pacific gray whales face extinction if the Bank backs oil giant Shell's plans to drill for oil and gas in their feeding grounds off Sakhalin Island.

Shell’s Sakhalin II project in Russia's far east is the largest oil and gas
extraction project in the world and they are seeking up to $300 million from
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Despite the warnings of scientists that this project could drive the whales
to extinction, the European Bank looks set to back the project with public
funds.

Liz Sandeman of London based dolphin and whale conservation charity, The Marine Connection, and a leading expert on the marine environment says: “If we are to save the western gray whale it is absolutely vital that we persuade the EBRD not to finance the Sakhalin 11 project.”

“We also need to convince Shell that the world will never forgive them if they put their profits before the future of the western gray whales” adds Liz.

The Marine Connection is one of the organisations involved in supporting this protest. Further details can be found at www.marineconnection.org - everyone is invited to show they care by joining the campaigners for any time they can spare on Monday 22 May, between 10.30am - 2.30pm.

The location is the Hilton Metropole Hotel at the junction of Edgware Road (by the flyover)and Praed Street,W2. Nearest tube station is the Edgware Road.

As Liz says: “The whales need you!”




ENDS

Media enquiries to:
John Hicks
Headline Promotions, Press & PR
Mobile: 07771 575 654
Fax: 0707 520 9717
john@headlinepromotions.co.uk
www.headlinepromotions.blogspot.com


Further information and images available
Liz Sandeman
Director of Operations
The Marine Connection
PO Box 2404, London, W2 3WG
Tel: 020 7499 9196 fax: 020 7409 2133
liz@marineconnection.org
www.marineconnection.org

Notes for Editors

The Marine Connection (registered UK charity 1062222) is a London-based charity, established in 1997. Over the last few years, the charity has progressed from a small voluntary organisation to one of the UK’s established international conservation charities. One of the charity’s main aims is to ensure as many people as possible realise and understand the importance of protecting dolphins, whales and porpoises and their natural habitat. One way they achieve this is through a mix of campaigning, education and research.

Through the charity’s informative website and quarterly magazine, Seventh Wave, the charity encourages supporters worldwide to participate in helping to protect dolphins and whales and support various projects.

In the UK, the Marine Connection carries out vital educational project work in the Moray Firth area of Scotland, which is home to the most northerly population of bottlenose dolphins in the world. Through the charity’s Adopt A Dolphin project, people learn more about how to help conserve these marine mammals and their fragile eco-system.