Whales—protected and preyed upon

Press, 24 May 1988, Page 11

Whales—protected and preyed upon

"Whales,” tonight’s documentary on One, weaves together spectacular and rare footage of these magnificent animals, with stories of the people who prey on them and struggle to protect them.

Man has always been fascinated by the whale, which at up to 150 tonnes, is the largest of the world’s animals. At first, whales were seen as awesome monsters which appeared menacingly from the deep — and were gone again just as mysteriously. Primitive people feared them.

Early whalers were depicted as heroes battling these giants against all odds, but the reality was often different, as tonight’s National Film Unit production shows.

The hills stank from rotting meat and the seas ran red with blood around New Zealand’s 100 shore stations. Many ships had crew members as young as 13. Some of these illiterate and poorly paid seamen showed a natural fear and often hid when a whale was sighted. Whalers simply sneaked up on swimming whales, and when close enough

harpooned them. After a struggle the whale then bled to death.

Towed ashore, the whale was cut up and the various body parts processed for a world which at that time was lit almost exclusively by whale oil. Ladies of the Court wore corsets made of whalebone and, later, whale products were used in perfume and for margarine, pet food and lubricants.

Early whalers were not responsible for the depletion of the various species. But high-speed boats, harpoon guns and explosive lances replaced the row and tow techniques of earlier days. After World War 11, nations began using fleets of boats to supply mother processing ships and whales were chased by sonar. Their days were numbered. This documentary features interviews with the last of New Zealand’s old-time whalers — men who still talk about the respect they have for the animal they set out to kill. Today whaling means big business, power and money. Now it is the whales, not the whalers who excite people’s curi-

osity and demand compassion. “Whales” is laced with underwater shots, with interviews with scientists and conservationists, and with fishermen who have swam with whales.

As a conservationist, Bill Weiben says whales have been killed off so quickly no-one has had a chance to study them. "What is really scary is the fact that after studying whales and being around them for some time their intelligence overwhelms my comprehension.

“... and they will squeal at you, poke their, heads out of the water and then they will rub against you. Now I think if any human being did that you would say they were kind of communicating,” says Weiben.

"Whales” is a look at our complex feelings of love, hate, necessity and fear towards the animals who share our planet as we struggle to balance our needs against their survival.

“Whales” screens in Television One’s Tuesday Documentary slot at 9 tonight.