10
votes
Whale hunts have been branded inhumane by activists and authorities as Icelandic report finds they suffer a long and painful death
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- Title
- Evidence Suggest Whale Hunts Can Cause 2 Hours Of Suffering
- Authors
- Nick Ames
- Published
- May 9 2023
- Word count
- 690 words
Herman Melville's description of the whale's death by harpoon in Moby Dick is slow, violent, and agonizingly brutal—bloody, disgusting, truly repulsive; the act was shocking. I wish that upon no living creature. A contemporary explosive harpoon can hardly be considered humane either. Ishmael recounts stunning anecdotes of beautiful, playful, nearly familial connections between the sailors and whales fortunate enough to be left in peace. The two entities share an awe-inspiring but tenuous spiritual bond; however gracefully the beasts swim and how much love they inspire, the economic imperative of the whaling ship provides little room for morality. Whaling in the modern day is gratuitous and immoral.
I think killing any animal when it isn't absolutely necessary is inhumane. Humane is defined as "characterized by kindness, mercy, or compassion." You can't hunt for fun and fit that definition.
It would be interesting to see a comparison to how long other animals tend to suffer. I have no experience with hunting, but I imagine that many hunters are not expert shooters or use the appropriate calibers to minimize animal suffering.
Not a hunter myself, but in an area where deer opening is practically a state holiday. Cant speak to skill, but culturally, an instant or near instant kill is something that is strived for. Most state laws dictate that a hunter must try to track down an animal they have drawn blood from but not downed, and if they can find it, to put it out of its misery as soon as possible. Of course, not everyone is always a perfect shot, but clean kills are what people work towards.
Also, the DNR is very conscientious about how many licenses it gives out, in fact its looking like hunters might only get 1 deer tag this year, with a few more given out via lottery.
Overall, im actually pretty impressed by hunting culture, it certainly has its rough spots, but as a culture, it pays a lot of attention to ecological issues, and there is a lot of focus on preserving the woods and hunting for future generations to enjoy.