OT: Absolutely hillarious

[TreeOfLife]

By DOUG MELLGREN, Associated Press Writer Wed Jul 5, 5:47 PM ET


OSLO, Norway - Hunters shocked a boatload of tourists on a whale watch off Norway's Arctic during the weekend, harpooning a whale in front of them.
About 80 tourists were aboard the trawler Reine, which was headed for areas off the Arctic Lofoten Islands known for their abundance of whales, when the incident happened on Saturday, the boat's skipper Geir Maan said by telephone on Wednesday.
"We were on our way out to the whale watching area when we passed a whaling boat," Maan, the boat's skipper, told The Associated Press. Usually, whaling and tour boats maintain a distance between them.
"This time, we got close, and right when they were passing, I realized they had a minke whale in firing range," he said.
The whaling boat fired, and Maan said he later learned through the hunters that it had made a kill in front of the tourists.
"Some were pretty upset," he said. "Many thought it was awful to see."
The areas are popular with Norwegian whale-hunters, who so far have killed more than 400 of this year's quota of 1,052 minke whales, the smallest of the baleen whales at about 30 feet.
"This was definitely not what we came to see," Leontien Dieleman, of the Netherlands, was quoted as saying in Wednesday's Andoeyposten newspaper. "We wanted to see live whales."
Norway outraged many by resuming its commercial whale hunts in 1993, after a six-year break.
The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling in 1986, because some species were endangered. However, member countries can reject commission decisions. The Norway claims the whales it hunts are plentiful.
Hunters kill whales by shooting them with explosive-tipped harpoons, and then haul them back with a wire attached to the harpoon. The whales are then butchered on deck, and eaten in Norway as steaks and sausages.
"It was a little unlucky," Maan said of the incident, adding that the whalers usually wait until tour boats have passed to make a kill.
On the way back, the tourists also saw another whaling boat hauling a dead minke aboard, he said.
The hunting season lasts until Sept. 1.

(Perfect! :D :D :D )

[The Lord is my banner]

Yuk. Not funny.

[BenAdam]

classic :thumbsup:

[SpiritPsalmist]

I've been on a whale watch and I would have been pretty upset to see that too. :sick: Going on a whale watch was one of the coolest thing I've ever done.

[BenAdam]

they are awesome, but we are so removed from the food we eat, most people would be horrified to see a cow slaughtered

[SpiritPsalmist]

This is true and thats why I don't work in such a place. God did set up humane ways to kill food though many do not follow it.

[BenAdam]

This is true and thats why I don't work in such a place. God did set up humane ways to kill food though many do not follow it.
I agree, but still, some don't want to even see that.

[handmaiden97]

I imagine folks were quite schocked....but really it is good for people to know food and other products we need animals to make does not magically appear on store shelves....

God gave us the animals and we are allowed to eat and kill them...now Im off to eat lunch....maybe I will have an elk steak

[TreeOfLife]

I have a vague memory of some President pandering to the tree huggers by making a big show of him releasing some previously injured bird, and immediately some bigger bird flew in and snatched his bird right out of the sky. Does anyone else remember that? It was hillarious! :D :D

[handmaiden97]

no but I recall the seal that the govt release back into the wild get eaten by a whale right in front of the cameras...it was sad to see, and well It was a sad statement of how our tax dollars are wasted at times.....but understandable as that is how God designed nature to work. I forget what was spent to release the critter, but I hope the whale enjoyed his million dollar plus snack!

[SpiritPsalmist]

I agree, but still, some don't want to even see that.

I agree. I don't want to see it either. The tourists were there to see whales in their magnifance and the whaling boat killed the whales they were watching. I'm sure the whaler saw the tourist but they killed the whale anyway. :(

[TreeOfLife]

I agree. I don't want to see it either. The tourists were there to see whales in their magnifance and the whaling boat killed the whales they were watching. I'm sure the whaler saw the tourist but they killed the whale anyway. :(

Yea captian Ahab! :D :D

[SpiritPsalmist]

I imagine folks were quite schocked....but really it is good for people to know food and other products we need animals to make does not magically appear on store shelves....

God gave us the animals and we are allowed to eat and kill them...now Im off to eat lunch....maybe I will have an elk steak

I don't think anyone believes food magically appears on the store shelves.

No one said that we are not allowed to kill and eat. My room-mate has deer meat in the freezer and I've eaten it.

The point was that the tourists were not there to see the whale slaughtered. don't care what people eat I just think that a whaling boat doing it's stuff in front of tourist who were there to see the whales in living form was wrong.

[TreeOfLife]

I don't think anyone believes food magically appears on the store shelves.

No one said that we are not allowed to kill and eat. My room-mate has deer meat in the freezer and I've eaten it.

The point was that the tourists were not there to see the whale slaughtered. don't care what people eat I just think that a whaling boat doing it's stuff in front of tourist who were there to see the whales in living form was wrong.

Then the tourists should have thrown the tour boat captain overboard.

[chilifrankplate]

It would be sad to see if you were out on a whale watching trip, but from the other side, this is their livelyhood. That may have been the best shot they had before possibly losing it. Do you take food off your family's table in hopes that you won't offend a boatfull of people that probably shouldn't have been that close to you anyway?

[SpiritPsalmist]

It would be sad to see if you were out on a whale watching trip, but from the other side, this is their livelyhood. That may have been the best shot they had before possibly losing it. Do you take food off your family's table in hopes that you won't offend a boatfull of people that probably shouldn't have been that close to you anyway?

I understand that side too but it still would upset me. I guess I'm just a softie.

[chilifrankplate]

I agree with Tree's statement, the problem lies with the sight seeing boat captain. He know's what those other boats are out there doing. The fact that he's running a tourist operation to go see whales, and in one day, his boat goes by two boats that are in the proccess of "doing their jobs" leads me to believe that he might have some sort of agenda. You know what those other boats are doing, you know you have a boatfull of people who don't want to see what they are doing, yet you still pass by close enough that everyone can.

[BenAdam]

I wonder how many of the tourists eat whale?

[BarbB]

Fortunately, whale meat is not kosher! :sick:

Though caribou and reindeer are kosher, I think! :idea: And venison - yummy! :yum:

[CrazyforYeshua]

I went with hubby in his semi to the "Meat Patch" one time (Iowa, Kansas area where the slaughterhouses are). We had to pick up a load, and I will admit, as much as I love steak, it was wierd to walk around with all those cows and know that what we were picking up used to be one........

[TreeOfLife]

I wonder how many of the tourists eat whale?

Or wear leather shoes, or belts, or handbags? How about certian colors of dye?

How about certain cosmetics?

The next time a tree hugger prances towards their "love in", how about we remind them of the actual make up of that vehicle that got them there? Tap the plastic enterior and thank God that somebody figured out how to make that from the oil that lays within the earth. Thank Rocky and Bullwinkle for letting us explore and use the earth God gave us, but don't worship them.

;) :)

[BenAdam]

Or wear leather shoes, or belts, or handbags? How about certian colors of dye?

How about certain cosmetics?

The next time a tree hugger prances towards their "love in", how about we remind them of the actual make up of that vehicle that got them there? Tap the plastic enterior and thank God that somebody figured out how to make that from the oil that lays within the earth. Thank Rocky and Bullwinkle for letting us explore and use the earth God gave us, but don't worship them.

;) :)
I'm something of an enviromentalist, but I think more of stewardship. Responsible use of resources.