Whale Wars helicopter pilot tells about the Japanese Harpooning the Minke Whale [View All]

By Phillip Zonkel
08/20/2009




LONG BEACH - Chris Aultman says it was one of the most horrific events he has ever seen. On Feb. 6, the 39-year-old Long Beach resident was piloting the helicopter for the eco-warriors Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which fights international whaling, and witnessed a ship from the Japanese whaling fleet hunting an Antarctic minke whale in the Southern Ocean.

Watching helplessly, Aultman saw a crew member blast a harpoon into the 23-foot, 5-ton mammal, which frantically attempted to flee.

When the whale approached the ship's hull, another crew member shot the bleeding and thrashing whale at least six times in the head before it died.

The gruesome encounter, which Aultman says lasted 25 minutes and 16 seconds, was a shocking moment on last week's episode of the Animal Planet reality series "Whale Wars."

The show follows the Sea Shepherd crew - which attempts to interrupt the harvesting of 1,000 whales - and its battles against one of its adversaries, Japanese whaling fleets.

The series, in its second season, has its season finale at 9p.m. today.

Aultman didn't want to watch the hunting and killing of the minke whale, but he didn't have a choice, he says.

"I had to look at what we were filming. My responsibility is to keep the helicopter pointed at the subject so the cameraman can film it," said Aultman, who also doubles as Sea Shepherd's aviation director.

"I hope I never see it again," he said.
"Whale Wars" has been a whale of a hit for Animal Planet,

Japanese factory whaling ship the Nisshin Maru, right, hauls a newly caught minke whale up its slipway
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site204/2009/0820/20090820__C_PN21-SEASHEPARD+PC49AU1_300.JPG


Prior to his efforts in combating international whaling and joining the Sea Shepherd team, Aultman served for six years in the Marine Corps as a helicopter avionics technician from 1989 to 1995.


FULL ARTICLE
http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_13172945

The final episode of this season's Whale Wars is on tonight, Friday, Animal Planet at 9 pm

Video of the whale being killed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1b8YCxJiIc