The growing numbers of gray whales in the Pacific, the burgeoning seal populations, the increasing numbers of sea lions and otters; all of these facts must be disseminated to our audience in terms of compassion and enthusiasm.

It has always been an interesting irony to hear scientists and others in the sustainable use movement to rail against the use of anthropomorphism. One definition of this word is "ascribing human characteristics to non humans and perceiving human attributes in non human things". In a very astute observation, an animal rights activist once remarked how foolish the opposition was to resist this behaviour. "We are human and as such it is not only normal for people to project their feelings on non-humans, it is part of what defines us as human. We can and do empathize because we are anthropomorphic. That is in a nutshell the power of our movement. That is the force that stimulates our advocacy. We must hope that the other side never understands that this characteristic is fundamental to our success".

If we can in the coming months, at CITES and at other forums, begin to package our science with a dose of emotion and a touch of empathy, and present our views as though the animals themselves were communicating them, the effect would be fascinating.

I am sure many will openly question this strategy with admonitions of "we must be always factual," and "We have an obligation to the truth." In this, I believe we all can totally agree. We must always present the true and accurate picture of the particular issue in which we are engaged. That does not mean the truth cannot be presented in an emotionally compelling fashion.