Planet Earth needs healthy oceans to survive. And healthy oceans need whales. It is not enough to conserve vulnerable species or populations. We need to restore their ocean environment. We need whale and dolphin populations to recover to levels that existed before industrial scale whaling and fishing devastated the oceans. Like us, whales and dolphins are intelligent beings, capable of suffering. There is plenty of scientific evidence to show this. Like us, they often live in close social groups, pass on wisdom to the next generation, use tools, and grieve for pod mates just like we might. We have the right to life and to freedom, so why shouldn't whales and dolphins have the same rights regardless of their usefulness to us?