– – Animal rights activists and Japanese whalers have had a not always cold war raging for some time. Last year there was a collision between an activist vessel and a whaler, as well as incidents when activists hurled rancid butter and stink bombs!–Whoa!
More recently this month, anti-whaling activists have accused Japanese harpooners of using water cannons, loudspeakers, and military-grade acoustic weapons as part of skirmishes in the Antarctic. The Sea Shepherd animal rights group said a Japanese vessel closed in on their boat, the Steve Irwin, and deployed water cannons and long-range acoustical devices (LRADs) against them. Acoustical devices have been used for crowd control, to repel pirates, and have also been used by U.S. forces in Iraq. The Japanese whaling vessel, the Shonan Maru No. 2, also is reported to have chased and circled the Steve Irwin for two hours in a campaign of harrassment, setting off that vessel’s collision alert alarm fourteen times. In what must have been an awesome water war, the Irwin also deployed its water cannon against the Japanese vessel, resulting in two very wet crews but no injuries!
Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands have called for restraint on both sides before the rancid butter hurling gets totally out of hand…
(…rancid butter hurling and water cannons!–I’d have given anything to have been in on that!- -Then again, I smell funny when my fur gets wet…)
– – The world’s first online Animal Freedom Day is scheduled for July 24th, with a goal to create awareness and put an end to the slaughtering of animals and animal abuse, and promote creation of an alternative food source. Many high-profile celebrities, environmentalists, and politicians together with animal rights organizations will take part.
FOXSYLVANIA 
You must be logged in to post a comment.