Whale Wars- Animal Planet

Posted on February 5, 2009. Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: animals, documentary, environment, whales |

Captain Paul Watson founded his Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in 1977 because he believed his new organization had to go even further to eradicate whaling, poaching, shark finning and habitat destruction — and to uphold international conservation laws on the high seas — than the Greenpeace group he had co-founded.

For several years, Watson’s group of staff and volunteers have engaged in a campaign almost every winter to find and stop Japanese ships that hunt whales in the name of research, attempting to stop them by any non-violent means necessary. The eclectic group — labeled activists, heroes and/or eco-pirates — leave port in Melbourne, Australia for a two-month campaign that is dangerous, controversial and has garnered international media attention. Sea Shepherd’s dedicated, international crew have spent their holiday the last several years and risked their lives at the bottom of the Earth to save whales.

In the Spotlight

During the 2007-2008 campaign, Animal Planet captured the intensity of Sea Shepherd’s mission and the trials and tribulations of the crew in a new seven-part, hour-long weekly series Whale Wars. The series draws attention to this global conservation issue that has caused friction between several nations over the practice of whaling in oceanic territories. This year’s campaign was particularly eventful with multiple engagements, capsizing, possible hostage taking and alleged shooting, and Animal Planet crews were onboard to document it as it unfolded.

Highlighting both the controversial whaling trade and the tactics that Sea Shepherd and its staff and volunteers use to attempt to cripple it, the series documents the group’s three-month sojourn across the icy Antarctic waters at the far end of the globe. Each week on Whale Wars, Animal Planet will take viewers on a powerful and adrenaline-fueled adventure and spotlight how the group takes action against alleged illegal whaling operations.

Aggressive Tactics

The Society’s fight to eradicate Japanese whaling on the high seas — where international laws are interpreted by different countries and organizations in different ways — utilizes some aggressive techniques, including ramming and disabling whaling ships; disrupting whale carcass processing; engaging in physical entanglement; and boarding and dispersing fleets of whaling vessels. For the campaign this season, Sea Shepherd christened its vessel in honor of the iconic conservationist Steve Irwin with the blessing of his wife Terri, both of whom support the organization independent of Animal Planet.

WHALE WARS premieres Fridays at 9 PM e/p

Source: http://animal.discovery.com/tv/whale-wars/about/