The new season of ‘Whale Wars’ is being flighted on Animal Planet at 21h00 on Wednesday evenings.  The show features the work of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, under the leadership of Captain Paul Watson, in preventing the hunting and killing of whales, especially by the Japanese in the Antarctic.

The programme started in November last year, reports The Times, and has attracted controversy due to the graphic reflection of the extent to which the Society goes to prevent the Japanese from hunting and killing Minke and fin whales, including shooting at the Japanese, but also being shot at by them.

“What we hope to achieve with ‘Whale Wars’ is to raise global consciousness about what’s happening in the world’s oceans, what’s happening to the whales, and I think we have been very successful”, says Watson. 

Watson would like to see the programme broadcast in Japan.  To date it has achieved success and support in Latin America, Europe and Africa, and will now be broadcast in New Zealand and Australia.   “Before ‘Whale Wars’, people weren’t aware that whaling was even taking place, and I think it’s important to bring people down to this very remote and very hostile region of the world and allow them to be eye witnesses to what’s going on” added Watson.

Watson accuses the South African government of siding with the Japanese, and of keeping them in Cape Town against their will four years ago.  They had no choice but to ‘escape’ from the Cape Town harbour.

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