Whale Wars

Whilst hiding under the auspices of just another nature documentary series, Whale Wars is an incredibly hard-hitting piece of reportage journalism that should be rightfully feted as an important document to the hands-on eco-terrorists who can only be saluted for their unfailing passion for the rights of animals.

The piece focuses on whale hunting in Antarctica and the journey of the Steve Irwin, a newly named Australian vessel that is at the forefront of the fight against Japanese trawler men who are slaughtering whales for “research” and claim that the law is on their side. Paul Watson, an original founder of Greenpeace who was barred from the progressive organisation for his militant views, then went on create Sea Shepherd and with 34 volunteers on board, dubbing themselves as modern day pirates, these vegans literally put their lives on the line for the protection of whales.

There are some undoubted legal issues, especially since there are quotas allowing for the killing of certain numbers of whales, but the semantics are not to be trifled with. As the seasickness is graphically documented along with unflinching footage of whale deaths, Watson takes no prisoners in his view of these newbies. The opening shots of the Japanese being pelted with stink bombs and then retaliating with flash-bangs and bullets are truly shocking and the seven episodes are at times hard to watch for those used to Attenborough’s superbly balanced and calm programmes. This a tale that needs to be told though and the bravery of these determined to stem the tide of destruction for some of the most endangered species on earth is admirable.



Released on DVD o 8th June 2009 by Demand DVD.

Written by Simon Cole.