[danielsun]

You ask what makes whales so special?
I think the reason why whales stand out is because the general consensus to the public is the concern of the threat of the species becoming extinct whereas dogs, cats, rats, horses and cows may be sacred to some but not under threat of possible extinction. After having a quick google on whales it seems that that is also the message.
Wikipedia class the fin whale as EN; high risk of extinction and the humpback and the sperm whales as VU;vulnerable considered facing high risk of extinction in the wild. the minki was classed as NT; near threatened close to qualifying as or is likely to qualify for threatened category in the near future.
Other sites said similar things but the only site which was pro whaling stating that whale numbers were sufficient was the Japanese whaling association. (funny enough).