From the Inbox: Whale extinction risk:Alaska Officials Target Rare Cook Inlet Belugas

Fight for the Lives of Rare Cook Inlet Beluga Whales In 2008, Defenders supporters fought for and won Endangered Species Act protections for the Cook Inlet beluga whale. But now the state of Alaska is seeking to overturn these hard-fought and much-needed protections for these rare whales. Please make a compassionate donation to support our court fight to save Cook Inlet beluga whales from extinction and protect other imperiled wildlife. The full resources of the State of Alaska are behind efforts to overturn protections for these rare whales. Please forward this message, and help us raise $35,000 to by August 20th to help us go to court now to save these whales. Dear Friend, It doesn’t get much more serious than this. There are only a little more than 300 Cook Inlet beluga whales left alive, and they live in just one place: the Cook Inlet that surrounds Anchorage, Alaska. But the State of Alaska has filed suit to overturn federal protections for these critically endangered marine mammals, even as Cook Inlet belugas face possible extinction. Defenders of Wildlife is going to court to save these whales, but we need your help to beat Alaska’s lawyers and their allies. Please make a tax-deductible donation to support our court battle to ensure that Cook Inlet belugas have the federal protections they need to survive. These highly endangered and incredibly intelligent marine mammals exhibit a wide range of vocalizations including clicks, squeaks, whistles, squawks and a bell-like clang. And they’re found in just one place: The Cook Inlet near Anchorage, Alaska. Previous unregulated hunting, pollution and climate change may have all contributed to the decline of Cook Inlet belugas, but new federal protections offer these amazing marine mammals a lifeline of hope. Don’t let Alaska officials doom the Cook Inlet beluga to extinction. Please donate now to support our whale-saving legal advocacy. The Cook Inlet beluga’s survival as a species is at stake. Please help us raise $35,000 by the end of the week to help support our court fight. Unfortunately, the Cook Inlet beluga’s population decline has been so severe that, in 2006 the World Conservation Union (IUCN) placed these whales on its Red List of endangered species. And in October 2008 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that Cook Inlet belugas are in danger of extinction, and listed them as an endangered species. During the two years leading up NOAA’s announcement, Defenders' supporters sent more than 80,000 messages urging federal officials to take action to protect Cook Inlet belugas, with more than 10,000 Defenders' activists contacting the agency in just the month leading up to this decision! This potentially life-saving victory is now at risk, as Alaska’s lawyers move to overturn these crucial protections. Help save Cook Inlet belugas. Donate now to support our court fight for these whales. To ensure that these whales get the species-saving protections they need, we’ll bring to bear the full power of our legal expertise – expertise that recently helped restore life-saving protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies. But we’ll need support to win. Please donate today to help us save Cook Inlet belugas. Alaska’s lawyers are lined up against protections for these wonderful creatures. But with your help, we can save the Cook Inlet beluga from extinction. Please make your tax-deductible contribution today. Respectfully, Rodger Schlickeisen President Defenders of Wildlife P.S. Alaska’s lawsuit poses an imminent threat to the continued survival of this species. Please make a secure donation online right now or call 1-800-385-9712 to contribute by phone.