The Shame of Man
This page contains graphically disturbing pictures.


Of 134 Orcas taken captive in recent years-103 are now dead. Chlorinated water, psychological damage, self mutilation, even suicide by refusal to breathe, all contribute to the death toll. These animals are taken from their habitat, forced to perform circus tricks, kept in cramped tanks, all in the name of entertainment.

In the "Ecologically Ignorant-Economically Arrogant Empire of Japan", whale meat sells for as much as $200.00 per kilogram, or $91.00 per pound. Since the International moratorium on whaling, Japan has killed more than 3600 Minke whales. That toll rises daily.

This whale, despite several electronic harpoons in it's body, is still alive, still fighting to free itself from the pain and torment of the harpoons. It took over two hours for this poor suffering creature to die, in spite of the use of the electronic harpoons, which, when used correctly, are fired into the brain of the animal, killing it instantly. Unfortunately, many whalers don't want to take the time, or don't have the skill needed to use the harpoons correctly.

Freedom from pain at last. Sometimes, only death provides relief. Too bad the whales aren't able to use harpoons. Maybe then man would think again before firing his horrid weapons at them.

Every time you purchase a can of tuna, stop and think about this picture. Every day hundreds of mammals are killed by these drift nets. There is no such thing as "dolphin safe tuna". As long as countries like Japan, and Norway continue to use drift nets...dolphins, whales, sharks... will all continue to be killed indiscriminately.

Here's one of my personal favorites. Take your child on an outing, let him witness the horror of this type of carnage. What kind of impact will it have upon him? Will he be ashamed of his father's participation in the senseless murder of innocent creatures? Will he suffer nightmares...hearing the death screams of whales in his sleep? Or, perhaps become obsessed with trying to wash the blood from his hands and face. Such a kind father to share this with his son.

Here is the discard pile...the choice cuts of the seal pups have been "harvested", all that remains is waste. This is criminal...write your government...help stop the seal slaughters in Canada. These poor creatures have been murdered for their sexual organs. The hunters do not know, until after the murder, whether they have killed a male or female seal. If it is a female, it is worthless, because only the genitals of the male seal are worth anything.

It took several agonizing minutes for this seal to die. They are slaughtered by the thousands..to provide Japan with the genitals of the male seals, which are dried, pulverized and ground, and sold as aphrodisiacs.

While still alive, these pilot whales are brutally impaled with steel hooks and dragged ashore. Every year in the Faroe Islands about 1500 Pilot whales are brutally slaughtered. The Faroese also kill other small whales, dolphins and porpoises. These gentle creatures are herded into bays and killed by islanders armed with 6-inch whaling knives and heavy steel hooks, known as gaffs. First the gaff is hammered into the whales flesh, often causing deep wounds and sometimes even puncturing the blowhole. Then as the animal thrashes in pain, it is dragged by a rope attached to the gaff towards the shore. The islanders slice down just behind the blowhole with a knife, trying to sever the main arteries and spinal chord. This may take a couple of minutes. But if the whale struggles too much, or the killer is inexperienced (or even drunk), death may take much longer. No whales are spared from this agony. Whole families, including pregnant mothers, are slaughtered in just a few hours.

Today, thanks to the tireless efforts of SeaShepherd, pressure has been brought to bear...and soon, hopefully, scenes like this will be a thing of the past.

The little red building in the back of the stage is where dolphins, sea lions, and seals are kept between shows. There's not much room for these creatures, who, in their natural habitat, swim up to 100 miles per day. And the sensory stimulation in this tiny, windowless prison must be incredible.