How is This Still Happening?! Protected Whale Illegally Slaughtered by Japanese Whaling Fleet (VIDEO)

While most of us sit behind computers in temperature controlled offices, Sea Shepherd’s fleet sails across the world’s oceans, fighting for the lives of whales who are ruthlessly slaughtered for their meat and blubber. And while this may sound like a “glamorous” job, sometimes the somber responsibility of bearing witness to these barbaric crimes is an incredibly heavy one.

On January 15th, 2017, Sea Shepherd encountered the Japanese factory whaling vessel, the Nisshin Maru, sailing through Australia’s Southern Whale Sanctuary in the antarctic. The Nisshin Maru’s harpooning ship the Nisshin Maru No. 2, cut through the waves alongside its larger counterpart with its harpoon unsheathed and in search of prey, the protected mink whale.

Sea Shepherd approached with two ships, a helicopter, and a crew of 51 brave and women who would try and get in between the whales and the projectiles – all while documenting the illegal actions of these poachers. When the rescuers reached the poachers, they saw the body of a mink whale who had been slaughtered. The poachers scurried to cover up their crimes, but the camera crew was able to catch them in the act and will seek justice for the butchered mink whale.

Sea Shepherd will continue to fight against these heartless poachers but they need our help now more than ever to protect the world’s whales and dolphins from this illegal industry. 16,000 whales are slaughtered every year despite the International Whaling Ban which was instituted in 1986.  These majestic creatures a dying every day so that a few greedy people can gain more wealth, and it needs to stop. We can help to end these atrocities by donating to Sea Shepherd so they can continue the struggle on the water while we fight from home – helicopters don’t come cheap so dig deep and help these real-life superheroes save the whales!