AN anti-whaling video campaign has been launched by animal care students at Kendal College.

It is a response to continued Japanese whaling operations in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

The whaling is still taking place, despite a ruling from the International Court of Justice that it is not being done for scientific reasons and is therefore illegal.

Animal Care tutor Sarah Neill, who helped launch the project, said: "The students all wanted to get involved with a campaign.

"I did a presentation telling them all about the history of whaling.

"For the whaling campaign video we recorded as many people as we could as they read a script about the plight of the whales."

Accompanying the video is a petition, a social media campaign and written protest letters to Japanese Prime Minister Shinz? Abe.

Level three animal management student Megan Atkinson, 20, who was heavily involved in the social media campaigns, setting up the facebook and twitter pages, said: "I was shocked to learn about whaling in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary.

"I wanted to do something to help such a great cause and worked to set up social media campaigns to raise awareness and increase online petition signatures.”

Ms Neill, who is also the Cumbria co-ordinator of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, said that the main point in the campaign is to raise awareness.

She said: "If people want to get involved there are things they can so such as writing to the Japanese Prime Minister and signing the petition."

Details of the campaign and links to the petitions can be found at www.facebook.com/stopjapanesewhaling2016 and @whaling0.