in the past weeks, i’ve heard quite a bit about animal planet’s new series called whale wars.
the show documents sea shepherd‘s anti-whaling campaign in antarctica.
the official website seems to limit video access to a the US (or at least they’re blocking austria), so i wasn’t even allowed to watch the official preview.
however, i eventually found a youtube user who’s uploaded the episodes – here’s the link: whale wars – operation migaloo.
the footage gives you a good feeling of what the sea shepherds are doing to protect the whales. the amount of compassion for their cause is remarkable. admittedly, some of their methods are pretty much on the outer edge of borderline. however, they’re the only organization that atcively stops illegal whaling in international waters!
in episodes #2 (“nothing’s ideal”) and #3 (“international incidents r us”), the animal planet team also provides first-hand insight on last january’s “kidnapping” incident that has made news around the world.
eric cheng has an informative article with a set of links in his blog.
i have to say: this is one of the most compelling, thrilling documentaries i’ve seen in a long time.
meanwhile, the institute of cetacean research is publishing press releases critizicing animal planet (PDF) and their new series (PDF).