World’s sickest school trip 22/06/06
Daily Express, UK
THIS is a school trip Japanese style. Not for these children a visit to a castle or museum.
Instead they watched a 10-ton whale being butchered, the latest victim of Japan’s defiance of a 20-year world whaling ban.
The children giggled as blood poured from the animal, the first kill of the season east of Tokyo, while rubber booted workers with three-foot machetes carved it into brick-size chunks.
The Baird’s beaked whale was one of 20,000 dolphins, porpoises and beaked whales that Japan kills every year, in addition to the 1,000 larger whales harpooned for "scientific research" in the North Pacific and Antarctic.
The killing came days after Japan succeeded by one vote in getting the whaling ban branded as "unnecessary" at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission.
Tokyo is now expected to intensify its efforts to get the 75 per cent majority it needs to get the ban scrapped altogether next year.
Georgina Davies of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society said: "Japan and the countries doing its bidding are guilty of environmental vandalism." She said with huge stockpiles of whalemeat unsold, they were now trying to get schoolchildren to eat it.
World’s sickest school trip 22/06/06
Daily Express, UK
THIS is a school trip Japanese style. Not for these children a visit to a castle or museum.
Instead they watched a 10-ton whale being butchered, the latest victim of Japan’s defiance of a 20-year world whaling ban.
The children giggled as blood poured from the animal, the first kill of the season east of Tokyo, while rubber booted workers with three-foot machetes carved it into brick-size chunks.
The Baird’s beaked whale was one of 20,000 dolphins, porpoises and beaked whales that Japan kills every year, in addition to the 1,000 larger whales harpooned for "scientific research" in the North Pacific and Antarctic.
The killing came days after Japan succeeded by one vote in getting the whaling ban branded as "unnecessary" at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission.
Tokyo is now expected to intensify its efforts to get the 75 per cent majority it needs to get the ban scrapped altogether next year.
Georgina Davies of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society said: "Japan and the countries doing its bidding are guilty of environmental vandalism." She said with huge stockpiles of whalemeat unsold, they were now trying to get schoolchildren to eat it.
Whale shot in front of tourists
July 4th, 2006, Norway
Eager Norwegian whalers didn't do much to boost the image of their country's tourism industry this week, when they gunned down a whale before the eyes of tourists out on a whale-watching expedition. A boatload of tourists wasn't prepared to see a sight like this, while coming back from a whale-watching expedition off northern Norway.
Related stories: Nordic conflicts loom up north - 20.06.2006 Norwegians cheer shift on whaling ban - 19.06.2006 Annual hunt yields few whales - 22.05.2006 Whaling begins amid protests - 21.04.2006 More whaling in 2006 - 21.12.2005 'Whale burgers' raise a fuss - 28.07.2005 Whale hunt protests ebb out - 30.05.2005 Whale hunt soon underway - 19.04.2005
Norway's whaling industry has sparked international protest over the years. This week, the protests came from the whalers' own hunting grounds.
Around 80 tourists had paid to go out on a whale-watching boat from Andenes, in northern Norway. Called "whale safaris" locally, the whale-watching has become an increasingly popular tourist attraction in recent years.
While the tourists were admiring one of the great mammals of the sea, however, a Norwegian whaling boat approached and shot the whale in front of their eyes.
Leontien Dieleman from the Netherlands was among those who was shocked by the slaughter they suddenly and unexpectedly witnessed.
"This really wasn't what we came to see," Dieleman told local newspaper Andøyposten.
As if the shooting wasn't enough, the tourists were also treated to the sight of another whaling boat hauling one of their own dead whales up on deck.
"It was a fantastic sight to see a whale swimming and breeching," Dieleman said. "On the way back to Andenes, though, we saw a dead whale on deck. The blood was running, it wasn’t a pretty sight.
"I know that's part of life, but I don't think we expected to see anything like that."
'Unfortunate'
Geir Maan, skipper on board the whale-watching boat Reine, called the incident "unfortunate." He told Andøyaposten that he was surprised when the whalers went ahead and shot a whale so close to his tourist vessel.
He said he and his crews try to explain Norway's controversial whale hunt to the tourists keen to see whales. He noted that the authorities also have used "a lot of time and energy to get whale hunting accepted in Norway." Shooting a whale in front of tourists was "like throwing oil on a fire that was about to die out."
Maan told the local newspaper that his passengers were "quite upset" by the shooting. He said he'd spoken to several whalers earlier this year, "and they assured me they wouldn’t shoot near us."
Passenger Gertjan Toorenaar said he'd heard of Norway's whale hunt before, "but it was something else to see it with our own eyes. This is a part of the Norwegian culture, but I don't like it at all."
No sympathy
Jan Kristiansen, who represents the whalers, defended the shootings. He claimed the whalers were simply taking advantage of the nice weather, when the hunting is best.
"Many of the whaling boats had been tied up at the dock for several days, waiting for better weather," he said. "When it finally came, we have to make the most of it."
Kristiansen claimed that he and the other whalers "don't have anything against the whale safari boats... but it's important to get across that it's the extreme opponents of whaling that travel out to see whales.
"We can't prevent them from being against the hunt, and they can't prevent us from hunting."
Nina Berglund
22/06/06 Dialy Express, Gran Bretana
El viaje escolar mas enfermizo...
Esto es un viaje escolar a la Japonesa. No para estos ninos de 6 a 8 de visitar un castillo o museo... En lugar ellos vieron como una ballena de 10 toneladas, la ultima victima del desafio de Japon a los 20 anos del moratorio a la caza de ballenas.
Los ninos pequens se rieron al ver como la sangre saltaba del animal, el primero de la temorada al este de Tokyo, mientras trabajadores con botas de hule trabajaban con machetes de 1 metro de largo, cortando a la ballena en pedazos tamano de una teja.
La Baird’s ballena picuda fue uno de los 20,000 dolfines, marsopas y ballenas picudas que Japon mata cada ano, encima de las 1,000 ballenas grandes que harponea cada ano en el Pacifico Norte y en el santuario de la Antartida bajo la excusa de "investigacion cientifica"(segun esto para tomar muestras geneticas y ver que comen...).
La matanza vino dias luego de que Japon gano un voto en la CIB (Comision Internacional Ballenera), donde llama al moratorio "innecesario".
Se espera que Tokyo incremente su 75 % que necesita para el proximo CIB en proximo ano.
Georgina Davies del Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society dijo: "Japon y los paises siguiendolos, son culpables de vandalismo ambiental." Ella dijo que grandes pilas de carne de ballena no consumidas o vendidas, se estan ahora introduciendo a escuelas para que los ninos de las escuelas lo coman y se acostumbren a comer carne de ballena.
Ballena asesinada en frente de turistas en Noruega
Julio 4, 2006, Noruega
Balleneros Noruegos no se molestaron enpensar en la imagen turistica de su pais esta semana, cuando mataron a una ballena en frente de turistas que estaban observando las ballenas. A boatload of tourists wasn't prepared to see a sight like this, while coming back from a whale-watching expedition off northern Norway.
Related stories: Nordic conflicts loom up north - 20.06.2006 Norwegians cheer shift on whaling ban - 19.06.2006 Annual hunt yields few whales - 22.05.2006 Whaling begins amid protests - 21.04.2006 More whaling in 2006 - 21.12.2005 'Whale burgers' raise a fuss - 28.07.2005 Whale hunt protests ebb out - 30.05.2005 Whale hunt soon underway - 19.04.2005
La caza industrial de ballenas en ese pais, ha lanzado protestas internacionales por varios anos. Esta vez las protestas vinieron del mero lugar de caza.
Cerca de 80 turistas que pagaron para observar las ballenas desde Andenes en el norte de Noruega, donde observar ballenas se ha vuelto una atraccion popular turistica.
Mientras los turistas admiraban ona de las ballenas, un barco noruego se acerco y harponeo a la ballena en frnte de los turistas.
Leontien Dieleman de Holanda estaba entre los turistas y estaba en shock por la matanza brutal que inesperadamente y de pronto fueron testigos. "Esto no es lo que venimos a ver, dijo Dieleman al periodico Andøyposten".
Si la matanza no fue suficiente, los turistas fueron testigos de ver como otro barco ballenero arrastraba y subia otra ballena muerta a bordo.
"Era fantastico observar las ballenas nadando y acercandose a nosotros" Dieleman dijo. "En el camino de regreso a Andenes vimos una ballena muerta abordo, sangrando profsamente. Fue horrible...
'Unfortunate'
Geir Maan, skipper a bordo del barco de observacion de ballenas Reine, llamo el incidente "desafortunado". " El dijo al periodico que el estaba sorprendido que los balleneros cazaron la ballena que estaba tan cerca a los turistas que estaban observando las ballenas. El menciono que las autoridades han pasado mucho tiemo y energia para que la caza de ballenas sea aceptado en Noruegaa. "matar a una balena en frente de turistas fue como tirar aceite en un fuego que estaba a punto de apagarse".
Maan dijo que los pasajeros estaban muy molestos por la matanza. El menciono que habia hablado con varios balleneros este ano y le aseguraron que no iban a matar ballenas cerca de ellos.
El pasajeror Gertjan Toorenaar sdijo que habia escuchado de la matanza de ballenas en Noruega antes, "pero es algo mas verlo con tus prpios ojos. Esto es parte de cultur Noruega, pero no me gusta para nadal."
No simpathia
Jan Kristiansen, representante de los balleneros, defendio la caza. El dijo que los balleneros solo estaban tomando ventaja del buen clima, cuando la caza es mejor.
"Muchos de los barcos balleneros han estado en el puerto por varios dias por mal clima". "Cuando el clima bueno vino, ellos tenian que aprovecharlo"
Kristiansen dijo que el y otros baleneros no tienen nada contra los barcos que van a observar las ballenas, pero es importante mencionar que son los extremistas opuestos a la caza de ballenas que viajan para observarlas"
"No podemos prevenirles de estar contra la caza, y ellos no pueden prevenirnos de cazarlas".
Nina Berglund