Japanese hunters kill 120 pregnant minke whales during summer months – report

Conservationists call for end of 'abhorrent' whaling programme, which Japan argues is conducted for scientific purposes

More than 120 pregnant whales were killed during Japan's annual "research" hunt in the Southern Ocean last summer, a new report has revealed.

Of the 333 minke whales caught during the controversial 12-week expedition, 181 were female - including 53 immature ones. Figures show that of the 128 mature female whales caught in the hunt, 122 were pregnant.