Whale killed off coast of Vancouver Island
Preliminary reports are emerging that five men of the Neah Bay, WA- based Makah tribe killed a California grey whale in the Straight of Juan de Fuca off the coast of Sooke, BC. Because the incident was based in American waters, the U.S. Coast Guard were the first to respond.
“We allow native hunts for cultural purposes. However, this does not appear to be of that nature so far,” said Mark Oswell, a law enforcement spokesperson for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Though the five Makah men claimed they were hunting for traditional purposes, as the tribe has been fighting for rights to do so, it was apparent that they had carried out this hunt without any acknowledgment from their tribe.
Shawn Eggert of the Coast Guard confirmed “As far as we know these men didn’t have any kind of permission from the tribe.“
What has incensed me most in the method in which the whale was butchered. The whale was first harpooned but didn’t succumb to those injuries. If you can actually believe it, it’s speculated that the men used a machine gun (yes, an automatic weapon), to riddle the whale’s body with bullet holes.
The U.S. Coast Guard has since turned the five men over to the Makah tribal police and this matter is pending further investigation. I will keep you updated as more information with regards to this story is released.
Photos courtesy of Komo TV News
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4 Comments
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Sad…I bet the hunt was not for food either.
A machine gun?
Wow.
The “Makah tribal police”. I’m sure they’re looking at a lengthy period of incarceration under harsh conditions. Right. If the same offense had taken place off the coast here, the accused would have been perp-walked for the benefit of the local networks, castigated by the media and parallels would have been drawn to the Michael Vick debacle. An automatic weapon used to slaughter a protected animal? That’s federal time. Funny how that preferential treatment stuff sometimes works out.
That is horrible!