April 2008

Video: the discovery of Aaptos kanuux

Fascinating news just in - our two month research expedition to the Bering Sea last summer led to the discovery of a new species. Using manned submarines and a Remote Operated Vehicle, the crew of the Esperanza explored two of the world's deepest underwater canyons and took samples of never before seen life on the sea floor. Now, careful analysis has revealed one of them to be an entirely new species of sponge. Discovered in Pribilof Canyon, the new discovery is to be named Aaptos kanuux.

Four years ago Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu was released from jail having served 18 years inside. Yet this month the Israeli government renewed, for the fifth time, an order confining him to Jerusalem, where he is under constant surveillance, banned from talking to foreigners and shunned by Israeli society. He lives with no work, income, home or support. A virtual prisoner.

You'd probably find the idea of an event for trading in rhinoceros horns or tiger skins pretty shocking. But today, 1,600 companies from 80 countries came together in Brussels to trade all sorts species, including some threatened and endangered ones: fish, also known as our global marine life.

The Brussels Seafood Expo is the world's biggest sea food trading event, where species on the brink of collapse - like Mediterranean bluefin tuna and North Sea cod - are, literally, served up on a plate.

The orang-utans may have retreated from Unilever's premises for the time being, but our campaign to protect Indonesia's rainforests from the expanding palm oil industry has only just started. As well as an advert appearing in today's edition of the Times, commuters at Blackfriars tube station in London this morning saw some of our special 'Dove' adverts alongside the escalators. Blackfriars is the nearest station to Unilever's London headquarters, so a large number of their staff should have seen them on their way into work. Watch the video below for a taste of what they saw.

A couple of videos that throw our new Dove campaign into sharp relief. The first is a rather stonking effort from our international office, taking Dove's own Onslaught film as it's inspiration (you can see the original here). The second, some highlights from the fun and games in London and Merseyside earlier today. Enjoy.

As of 2pm, orang-utans are still gracing Unilever premises in London and Port Sunlight and are showing no signs of swinging down. They've also appeared on the continent, popping up in Italy and the Netherlands. Unilever's Rome HQ has been paid a visit and employees were blocked from entering the building by a large box placed in front of the entrance, with the slogan 'Stop Dove destroying rainforests' emblazoned upon it. In Rotterdam, six volunteers were trying to scale Unilever's waterfront offices to hang a banner with a similar message, but unfortunately strong winds forced them down.

Today, we're launching the next stage in our campaign to protect the rainforests of Indonesia from the expansion of the palm oil industry. Our volunteers, dressed as orang-utans, are currently climbing over the London headquarters of the company behind Dove, which uses palm oil as one of its ingredients. Our latest research shows that Unilever, the makers of Dove, is buying palm oil from companies that are destroying valuable rainforest and peatland areas, which is bad news not only for the millions of people who depend on them for their way of life and endangered species such as the orang-utan, but also for the global climate.