George Guimarães, animal rights activist

Click here to read this article in PDF format with images.

Makes about six years since I had my first contact with the Sea Shepherd and Captain Paul Watson (which is arguably the greatest living legend of the environmental movement in the world) when they share the same table as speakers at a conference on animal rights abroad. Since, I got to know more about the organization and its mode of action. The Sea Shepherd was born after Paul Watson was expelled from the Greenpeace, organization of which he is co-founder, for defending the use of more direct intervention by the conservation of the environment. While the first is a group of protest, Sea Shepherd is a group intervention, putting themselves physically between the aggressor and the victim.

I joined just over two years to join the campaign against whaling. Work as a volunteer in such campaigns is quite practical, can be in the kitchen zones, Cleaning, Engineering, work on deck or navigation itself. As I have no experience with marine life, my chances of being drafted were small, since the number of registered volunteers is great, especially after the campaign was turned into TV series (Whale Wars, do Animal Planet, the most successful series in the history of the canal). I was called last minute at the end of December, with the proviso that have to be on the other side of the planet within 72 hours. I canceled all programming work and the following weeks and can not say I could organize everything to be out for several weeks, but the fact is that within 36 hours I was on the way to New Zealand, where leave the ship.

The whaling is banned worldwide. Making use of a loophole that resolution, Japan continues to hunt whales under the pretext of conducting scientific research. With this, Japan imposes an annual quota established that auto-rotates around 1.000 animals (this year, for the first time, the number of animals was reduced since have not been able to hunt as many animals due to the actions of the Sea Shepherd). As the same resolution that prohibits hunting allows the meat of whales killed for scientific purposes is intended for human consumption, they see themselves "forced" to sell this byproduct of his "scientific research". After killing thousands of animals over many years, producing hundreds of tons of "by-product" that sell, Japanese scientific program was unable to publish any scientific paper.

All this, of course, in order to better "understand" these animals so they can be "preserved"! The Japanese program cetacean research is not just a joke, but it is also an affront to governments worked to ban commercial whaling. However, these governments do nothing to stop this criminal activity, even governments of countries near the area where the killing occurs (Australia and New Zealand). To further aggravate the situation, hunting occurs in an area defined as Whale Sanctuary, in other words, a place where animals should be left alone! Of course it would not be right to hunt whales wherever, but as there is a violation of international treaties, Sea Shepherd is able to intervene in a direct way to enforce these treaties.

This is the seventh consecutive year of intervention Sea Shepherd against whaling in Antarctica and every year the number of whales killed by the Japanese fleet is reduced incrementally. In the first year the Japanese returned home with a few dozen to less than its share of self-established 1.000 whales. Last year, they returned to Japan with less than half that quota, This shows that the methods work by Sea Shepherd. This year, the goal is to reduce the number of animals killed to zero. Apparently, this goal is being achieved.

With 3 large vessels, 1 helicopter and 3 small boats in operation, Sea Shepherd this year is stronger than ever. I'm on board the Steve Irwin, the main ship of the fleet, over 40 volunteers composing the crew. The Bob Barker has other 40 crew and the Gojira (meaning Godzilla in Japanese), fast a vessel that has been holding the world record navigation around the planet, Full team 88 volunteers representing 22 nationalities. Small boats and the helicopter are launched from large ships. Already the Japanese fleet has 5 ships: 3 ships arpoeiros, responsible for the capture of whales using harpoons fitted with explosives (leads to a whale 30 minutes to die, drowning in the water stained with his own blood while his companions surround); a tanker, responsible for transferring fuel and; 1 factory ship, responsible for receiving the animals killed, transforming a whale can weigh several tons of frozen meat into boxes in less than one hour.

I'm aboard the Steve Irwin the company of others 4 Brazilian: Barbara (official photographer of the campaign), Gunter (First Official veteran Steve Irwin), Luis (According to Officer) and Roberta (senior assistant at the Bridge Command). In the early days aboard, I worked on the deck in cleanup activities, maintenance, Small boat launch, and all functions dealing with metal deck, ropes and other heavy. Then I was transferred to the Command Bridge, where I am working as an assistant. In addition to information regarding the activities of the vessel, is this Bridge Command that Captain Paul Watson leads the fleet.

The work in all sectors of the ship great demand dedication and responsibility and life aboard a ship of a non-profit NGO manned by volunteers is full of restrictions. Added to this the extreme climate of the Antarctic region that is where the most dangerous waters on the planet and the resulting situation is not the most comfortable. However, we are not here for comfort, but the results for animals and the environment. Despite the hardships of life at sea, Our soul is recovered every day with the sight of whales and icebergs that remind us of the reason that brought us here. At the time of writing this article, Sea Shepherd is now completing the fourth week of action in the icy waters of Antarctica intervening in the activities of the Japanese whaling fleet in the most remote and dangerous planet, two weeks navigation point closest civilization.

After a few days of sailing, whaling fleet was intercepted in the day 31 December 2010, before they have started hunting activity. This is the first time that the fleet is intercepted at this stage, which is great news for the whales. Since, two ships arpoeiros keep busy following the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin to report their positions to the factory ship (so he departs), the main target of the Sea Shepherd. When we find the factory ship, the activity of vessels arpoeiros have been stopped immediately, because they can not transfer the dead animal to the factory ship since we will be blocking your ramp.

Since we were stopped two weeks ago, whalers have assaulted us with powerful cannons pressurized water is thrown against the crew at a temperature below zero degree Celsius, What is the water temperature in this region of the world. The Sea Shepherd crew retaliates by throwing smoke bombs and bottles containing butyric acid, non-toxic substance which is nauseating odor impregnated for several days on the deck. These are launched from small boats, that dribble bravely icebergs and growlers (fragments of icebergs difficult to visualize) that undermine the waters south of here 60 Graus sul latitude. In previous years we've been attacked with metal projectiles and Captain has been shot co u projectile firearm enqaunto aboard the Steve Irwin during one of the clashes.

Two days ago the helicopter located the tanker and since then we are escorting him along with Bob Barker out of the area of ​​the Antarctic Treaty. With the fame that Sea Shepherd has won in recent years, often even need to intervene. Once the tanker spotted the Sea Shepherd ships, not slow to change their route towards the north. As there are so many rules and international treaties violates the whaling fleet in the region devoid of monitoring governments and organizations, ships Steve Irwin and Bob Barker are watching it a few miles away as he runs away from the Southern Ocean Sanctuary, that is where whales are most vulnerable. While the tanker is escorted, two ships arpoeiros follow the Sea Shepherd ships and Gojira continues sweeping the Southern Ocean in search of the factory vessel. There is a ship arpoeiro free, mas ele the probability of being hunting is small, because the factory ship was fleeing from Gojira and helicopter in recent days and, while it is running, is not able to receive the transfer of the ship dead whale arpoeiro.

Two years ago a ship arpoeiro tried to transfer a whale in the presence of Steve Irwin and as a result there was a collision between two ships, thousands of tons of metal clashing at sea, which put at risk the lives of the crew of both vessels. This served to show that the Japanese spare no effort even if it endangers human life and also served to show that the Sea Shepherd crew is up to it, since they did not flinch in the face of imminent collision.

The fact is that hunting days are numbered, because without access to tanker, can not resupply. Furthermore, we will be there until the end of March and this time find the factory ship to end once the hunting activity (thereafter, the icy waters of the Southern Ocean begin to freeze and navigation is impossible for all). returning to Japan with the greatest economic loss in its history, the Japanese whaling fleet economically may well sink and never have to return to the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary, which should never have sailed.

See the reports with photos and details directly from the front of the War accessing Frost http://guerragelida.blogspot.com