Just as the Census of Marine Life announces the existence of amazing new wonders in the Southern Oceans, a battle over the oceans’ largest inhabitants rages on. While many have criticized Japanese whalers for illegally terrorizing (and slaughtering) whales, the Japanese are now turning the tables and accusing the television channel Animal Planet of terrorizing their whaling ships.
The accusations stem from Animal Planet’s new seven-part series, Whale Wars, which documents the militant anti-whaling escapades of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The Sea Shepherds have been using harsh and combative— though, they insist non-violent—strategies like hurling stink bombs, throwing acid, and spreading propeller-tripping steel cables to stop Japanese whaling ships from doing their job. The group says they prevented 300 whale deaths last winter. Japanese whalers have killed thousands of whales since the 1980s, and claimed they were in the name of research.
The Sea Shepherds don’t seem to mind the label of ecoterrorists; rather, they’re self-declared modern-day pirates who sail under a skull and cross-bones flag. However, the Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) says Animal Planet, best known for less-controversial programming like Pets 101 or The Crocodile Hunter, encouraged the Sea Shepherds’ violent activities and also staged a supposed shooting incident for the sake of sensational footage. The ICR is also worried that the Whale Wars series will glamorize ecoterrorism and encourage copy cat incidents.
Then again, that’s sort of like claiming that watching cop shows will make you go out and shoot someone [pdf].
Related Content:
80beats: Japanese Whaling Redux: American Scientists Say Slaughter Was Unnecessary
80beats: After 4,500 Whale Killing, Japanese Publish Their Research
80beats: Whaling Conference Dodges Thorny Issues; Uneasy Truce Continues
Image: flickr / guano
November 11th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
[...] http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2008/11/10/say-what-japanese-whaling-ships-accuse-animal... [...]
May 4th, 2009 at 2:02 am
Are we really surprised at this? Lets face it, the Japs have little respect for human life. look at the history of the horrors they inflicted on people during ww2. Whu would they care about thousands of whales? The Japs are a subculture.
May 23rd, 2009 at 8:26 am
@ Joyce, you’re human trash, glory to Japan Nihon BANZAI!
May 23rd, 2009 at 3:41 pm
the Japanese whalers are using the “scientific research” ploy as to justify there illegal commercial whaling operation. Why are the words “research” on the side of their harpoon ships not in japanese? because they really know whats going and and don’t care about the Antarctic Treaty which prohibiting any commercial marine operations
ITS RIDICULOUS THAT THEY ARE GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!!!!
May 23rd, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Animal Planet people are not the ones who are out in the Antarctic waters stopping the horrible japanese its the Sea Shepherd organization
this is stupid
June 10th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Can anyone PROVE the actions by the Japanese are illegal. These charges by the Eco-Terrorists are completly hollow. Would it be better if the Japanese dumped the whales back into the ocean after they get their research sounds like a waste to me. Is whale meat good to eat maybe as BBQ.
August 17th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Wow Kobun and Austin, you’ve got to be two of the most cold hearted people that make up this f’d-up world. Congratulations on being such assholes. God, i really feal sorry for your children… hopefully, you don’t have any.
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:07 pm
It is disgusting watching you Japs slatter those poor innocent whales.. i swear is i was abord the Sea Shephert ship i would just bomb your ship and watch you suffer..
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:08 pm
* if
August 24th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Who the hell cares who’s doing what!!!!! It’s sickening what the Japanese are doing to one of the most majestic animals on this planet. Someone needs to catch and torture them and make them suffer the way they are making those whales suffer, and for what? Research (ya right) give me a break. The Japanese have no regard for human life let alone the lives of animals. All they care about is money. I have family that spent time in Japan and they are very cold, greedy people!!!!
Austin your a complete idiot….how many whales do you have to slaughter in one day for research. There is nothing humane about the way they are even slaughtering them. Some people are so ignorant.
Kobun (or whatever the hell your name is) all I have to say to you is, Hiroshima was too kind to a bunch of subhumans that have such little regard for life.
These animals are one of the few gentle giants on this planet that post no threat to humans what-so-ever. Which is probably why a bunch of little yellow cowards are attacking them.
Greed is one of the worst deadly sins and I find some comfort in knowing that this garbage may not pay in this life but they will pay.
Glory to Gods angels on the Sea Shepard and any other organization trying to stop this madness. I’m with the idea of bombing whaling ships. It wouldn’t be the first time we bombed the filthy Japanese and I’m not against the idea of it not being the last. Get some damn humanity trash Japs!!!!!!!!!
August 24th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Dont kill the whales you stupid japanese
September 7th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Don’t stop! Keep going! Don’t Give UP!!! Lets give the SeaSheperds the $$$$money$$$ to keep on this mission! They need a fleet of ships. They need 5 FAST Ice breaker Bad Ass State of Art Ships. We need Rotation! Proud of you Discovery Channell! You ROCK! The japs suck! The Japenese Are Greedy Bastards! Boycott the Japanese! Down with Sony! Down with Toyota! and the rest of thier products!
September 7th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
As I am typing this comment I am watching Whale Wars and for the 1st time in History they have caught there first whale in front of the Sea Sheppards. This is just horrifying in just absolute disbelief, I am a real animal lover and grew up on a farm and I love all animals. I honestly ( DO NOT) think they are killing whales for scientific research. Something must be done !!
September 7th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
So I’ve been watching whale wars on discovery lately. I would love to have the opportunity to join them in their fight! When it comes to throwin the tear gas onto the japs ship, all I can say is BUDK.com!!! Just pick up a fully auto pellet gun (shoots non-lethal yellow balls), an pick off those jap fu$@ers on their water cannons. Or how bout some covert plastic explosives on the hulls of those whaling ships while they’re at port. Cmon, our government has done plenty of things in the past that they would never publicly admit to. Unfortunately most just see it as a bunch of dumb marine animals being put to good use, amazing how powerful greed can be. I guess those slanted eyes prevents those jap f&@ks from seeing the big picture. You know, that whole precious life thing, or maybe the effect on the environment thing. But who cares right? It’s just our planet, no big deal right? So how is it japs are stereotyped to be so intelligent? Sure they do complex algebraic equations in middleschool. Book smarts are useless if you’re completely ignorant when it comes to common sense. Keep it up discovery! Go sea sheppards! F&@k the greedy japs!
November 16th, 2009 at 12:11 am
The Japanese claim to be killing the whales for science. Then they eat the meat. But since most Japanese don’t like whale meat they feed it to their children in schools.
But here’s the thing. Whale meat today is full of mercury, DDT, DDE, PCB’s and other toxins. It’s so bad that the USDA wouldn’t allow it to be sold in the US. So a diet of whale meat may have some untended consequences. Or is the experiment “What will happen first? The whales become extinct or our children suffer brain damage and endocrine disfunction?”
The real reason the Japanese are hunting whales must be some primitive urge to prove how tough and macho they are. They never got over losing World War II. They were allied to the Nazis, and they belonged together. The Japanese Whale “scientists” are like Nazi doctors experimenting on Jews, Gypsies and other people; trying to figure out how quickly men could be castrated and women could be sterilized, and whether or not certain bones were necessary.
Captain Watson and the crew of the Sea Shepherd deserve our thanks and support.