Tails You Win!

Tails for Whales is asking people to let their fingers do the talking. Launched by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the global campaign hopes to raise awareness for whale safety by photographing people making a "whale tail" with their hands. In essence, it's a visual petition against whaling that involves everyone from celebrities and politicians to the average concerned citizen on the street.

"[Whales] face more threats today than at any other time in history," says the campaign. "The effects of climate change, ship strikes, marine litter, entanglement, ocean noise and 'scientific' whaling threaten the existence of many whale species."

To help raise awareness, teams supporting Tails for Whales have attended various events to photograph people making the hand sign, which involves bringing together one's inner wrists and spreading out the fingers to look like a whale's tail. Earlier this month, Tails visited the Palace of Westminster in the UK, the country where the campaign started, and got over 70 members of Parliament (along with model Twiggy and comedienne Jo Brand) to make the tail sign for the cameras. Already quite popular across the pond, Tails has now come to American shores.

Just last week, the campaign participated in New York's Fashion Week and photographed countless Americans making the tail sign. With a grassroots mentality, the Tails message is also being spread through Facebook, MySpace and other social networking communities. As more and more photos are collected, the best images will be compiled into a bound book that will be presented to President Barack Obama and members of Congress this summer.

For those who want to join the cause, there's no need to wait for a Tails event in your city. Citizens everywhere are encouraged to upload their own whale tail photos right now at TailsForWhales.org for possible inclusion in the book and a definite impact on protecting the species.

When a cause is this important, a stack of hand-written signatures just won't do. By engaging the public and making a strong visual statement, the Tails for Whales campaign is set to make a mighty big splash.

Update 7/4/09: See which hottie has hopped on the Tail-wagging wagon.

Photo of Twiggy courtesy of Tails for Whales. See the other whale tail photos on Flickr.