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Whale harpooned, hauled in by Japanese boat in front of whale-watching tourists
Mainichi Daily News ^ | August 25, 2007 | staff

Posted on 08/27/2007 12:55:37 PM PDT by Reagan is King

SAPPORO -- Eco-tourists on a whale-watching vessel, looking forward to observing the mighty creatures in their natural habitat, were instead greeted by the sight of a harpooned whale being dragged in by a Japanese whaling vessel on Friday.

At about 10:44 a.m. on Friday, a whale was spotted spraying water from its blowhole near a whaling boat, about 3.5 kilometers away from the whale-watching vessel off the coast of Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula. But when the vessel approached, the passengers on board found that the whalers had harpooned the Baird's beaked whale, and it was hauled in by the whaling boat about 20 minutes later.

About 20 passengers on the whale-watching vessel looked on, voicing their pity as the whale was captured. A French woman who was on the vessel with her husband reportedly said the experience made her feel ill.

There were two other whale-watching boats nearby, but one of them left after a child started crying.

The 46-year-old captain of the passenger vessel was disappointed by the incident, which took place about 14 kilometers east of Rausu Port in Hokkaido.

"It's my job to show people whales and it's the whalers' job to catch them, but I wonder how this can be avoided," he said.

One of the two whaling companies operating the whaling ship, meanwhile, filed a protest against the whale watching vessel with the Rausu town government.

"The passenger boat approached us, which was extremely dangerous. We think this could be considered dangerous sailing, and we want you to issue a warning," the protest said. (Mainichi)


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: harpooned; whale; whalewatchers
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To: DouglasKC
GRAYLING — Eco-tourists in a deer-watching vehicle, looking forward to observing the mighty creatures in their natural habitat, were instead greeted by the sight of a 10 point buck being dragged back to camp by an American deer hunter on Friday.

I have my Segway all juiced up to go roaming the Texas Hill Country in order to view doves this weekend in their natural habitat. I have my Segwey all "cammied" up and will be sporting a new dove hat. I've even modified the horn to call out "BIRD". I plan to honk it everytime I see a dove.

(BTW - this weekend is opening weekend for dove hunting season in Texas)
41 posted on 08/27/2007 1:30:25 PM PDT by OC_Steve
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To: EternalVigilance

Fin.


42 posted on 08/27/2007 1:31:10 PM PDT by Frapster (Arrrgghhh - hands off me booty, mate!)
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To: Reagan is King

Where was the Bird of Prey when you needed it?

43 posted on 08/27/2007 1:33:01 PM PDT by bmwcyle (BOMB, BOMB, BOMB,.......BOMB, BOMB IRAN)
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To: EternalVigilance

Well, at least our humor has a porpoise.

(Iknow it’s pretty stretched out at this point)


44 posted on 08/27/2007 1:33:08 PM PDT by swain_forkbeard (Rationality may not be sufficient, but it is necessary.)
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To: OC_Steve

“I have my Segway all juiced up to go roaming the Texas Hill Country in order to view doves this weekend in their natural habitat.”

I would almost pay money to see what happens to someone caught riding a segway in Texas (outside of Austin or Dallas).


45 posted on 08/27/2007 1:34:28 PM PDT by Hacklehead (I'm not here to make friends.)
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To: Reagan is King

tell ‘em to watch Star Trek IV and they’ll feel all better.


46 posted on 08/27/2007 1:34:37 PM PDT by isom35
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To: DouglasKC

the michigan whitetail, AKA R.O.U.S.

(Rodents Of Unusual Size)


47 posted on 08/27/2007 1:40:43 PM PDT by absolootezer0 (stop repeat offenders- don't re-elect them!)
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To: Reagan is King

This is a good thing. Those people were out there to study the whales and now they know how they are harpooned and brought into the ship. Now they can go to the cannery to see how it is packaged and put on the market. A full education.


48 posted on 08/27/2007 1:41:20 PM PDT by fish hawk (The religion of Darwinism = Monkey Intellect)
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To: swain_forkbeard

Dolphinitely.


49 posted on 08/27/2007 1:43:59 PM PDT by EternalVigilance (States' rights don't trump God-given, unalienable rights...support the Reagan pro-life platform)
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To: isom35

yep. cuz then they know that they’re right and man will cause the extinction of whales, and it will cause the destruction of life as we know it.

of course they’ll skip over the fact that we’ll also be able to go back in time to grab a pair if we need to, so its ok to hunt to extinction.


50 posted on 08/27/2007 1:45:01 PM PDT by absolootezer0 (stop repeat offenders- don't re-elect them!)
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To: quark

Hey, I had that plus a little more on my tag line and the big Freeper in the Sky made me take it off.


51 posted on 08/27/2007 1:47:50 PM PDT by U S Army EOD (Say Cheese.)
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To: Red Badger

I wouldn’t want to see a swimming chicken harpooned from one of those ships.


52 posted on 08/27/2007 1:49:20 PM PDT by U S Army EOD (Say Cheese.)
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To: EternalVigilance

You win. You’re the punniest.


53 posted on 08/27/2007 1:51:41 PM PDT by swain_forkbeard (Rationality may not be sufficient, but it is necessary.)
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To: Reagan is King
A French woman who was on the vessel with her husband reportedly said the experience made her feel ill.

Exactly how we Americans feel when you Frenchies eat our beautiful horses!!!!

54 posted on 08/27/2007 1:53:15 PM PDT by 11th Commandment
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To: Squawk 8888

Hahahahahaha....

To these “ECO” tourists, just think of it as watching the lion take down the gazelle...

Nature isn’t warm and fuzzy.


55 posted on 08/27/2007 1:54:25 PM PDT by HamiltonJay
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To: Reagan is King

ROTFLMAO!!!

“Honey! Look at the cute whale!”

“THUNK!”

“SHREEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIK”


56 posted on 08/27/2007 1:58:16 PM PDT by CodeToad
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All your blubber are belong to us!


57 posted on 08/27/2007 2:03:00 PM PDT by Michael_Michaelangelo (The best theory is not ipso facto a good theory.)
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To: Gator101
The scene in Ace Ventura w/ Carey trying to get out of the rhino suit came to mind here. No killing, but hell, watching a baby being born is grosser to me than seeing something (even some humans) being killed. But that's just me.

That scene in Napoleon Dynamite where the farmer shoots the cow right in front of the school bus filled with children just pops into my head reading this.

58 posted on 08/27/2007 2:03:46 PM PDT by Ready4Freddy ("Everyone knows there's a difference between Muslims and terrorists. No one knows what it is, tho...)
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To: Reagan is King

Cooooooool! It’s gotta make a better vacation story than just another boring whale-watching.


59 posted on 08/27/2007 2:06:06 PM PDT by IronJack (=)
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To: Reagan is King

This sounds like something out of South Park...


60 posted on 08/27/2007 2:15:52 PM PDT by DesScorp
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