Commentary by Captain Paul Watson

Terry Audla, the Executive Director of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association did not like my commentary on the cruel slaughter of the Narwhals. 

This is his response with my comments added where appropriate.

-----Original Message-----

From: Terry Audla
Sent: Mon 12/1/2008 1:04 PM
Subject: Narwhals

This is in response to Captain Paul Watson's Commentary titled: The Canadian Slaughter of the Unicorns

A sad sad commentary. To say that "Inuit killers roared and laughed barbarously as they inflicted torturous death upon these gentle creatures" points to the true ignorance of Inuit culture and our current state of affairs as Canadian Inuit. This statement from an organization that puts the plight of animals before the plight of its fellow world citizens is the true definition of ignorance. Sad to see it being perpetuated through a hazy rose-colored outlook of life on earth. Grow up !! How it that what the Inuit are doing is any less humane than say a pig/cow/chicken/lamb slaughter house!?!?!?!  Cultural ignorance at its prime!!

Captain Paul Watson: Of course it is a sad commentary. The slaughter of 500 defenseless Narwhal that could have been saved but were butchered instead is a very sad affair indeed. I would ask Mr. Audla to release video of the slaughter to prove that the killers were not taking pleasure in their sadistic kill. I have seen aboriginal kills in Siberia, Alaska, the Faeroe Islands and off the coast of Washington and I have witnessed the laughter and the amusement that the killers demonstrated. Mr. Audla, you can of course prove me wrong by releasing the video of the slaughter to the public. As for his accusation that we put the plight of the Narwhals before the plight of humans, I must agree. We do. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society represents our clients - the whales. And by the way Mr. Audla, the Narwhal are "fellow world citizens." We defend, speak for, and work for the welfare and the survival of marine wildlife. We are not a people organization although I should add that if we fail to protect and conserve marine wildlife, it will diminish diversity in the oceans and if the oceans die than all of humanity will perish, so ironically we work more directly for the interests of humanity than most anthropocentric organizations. 

It is also true that I do not respect a culture that slaughters wildlife to sell to the outside world in exchange for material benefits like snowmobiles, rifles, television, appliances etc. There is no traditional hunting for survival anymore - there is only the capitulation of the Inuit to the fur industry and as guides and bearers to rich white hunters who are motivated out of perverse desires to kill large predators like the polar bear. The Inuit want the materialistic benefits of the industrialized society and they still want to slaughter wildlife.

I was on St. Lawrence Island in 1981 and saw the Yupik slaughter Walrus with automatic weapons and it was a bloody massacre and I saw them laughing as they killed those magnificent animals. So Mr. Audla, I am not speaking out of ignorance. I witnessed enough atrocities and it is these scenes that enrage me.

500 Narwhals Mr. Audla! You can't eat them all. It is the long "unicorn" tooth you want because that's where the money is and you will be making a great deal of money off this slaughter. Or do you deny this also?

And of course there is the expected comparison to the slaughter of domestic animals. First, I don't support the slaughter of domestic animals. My ships are vegan vessels and we do not support the meat industry, which by the way is a greater contributor to greenhouse gas emissions than the auto industry. But there is no slaughter house in the civilized world that would condone the shooting in the barrel approach of this unspeakably inhumane killing of whales with rifles as they desperately seek to escape from death as their family is torn apart around them. This is a horrific way to die Mr. Audla and every man who pulled a trigger on those whales is no different than the men who slaughtered the defenseless people in the pit at My Lai, Vietnam. This is a crime against nature and I have absolutely no apologies for condemning the butchers of these whales.I may not be politically correct but I choose to be ecologically correct and the slaughter of so many endangered species cannot be justified in the name of culture. I would rather be ignorant of such a culture than to be a part of such an ignorant culture.

And don't throw back the race card on me. I don't discriminate when it comes to humans. I oppose anyone of any colour, of any culture that slaughters endangered species and especially when they do so in such an unbelievably cruel manner.

Within our Inuit culture we have always had the respect and will continue to hold that respect towards the animals that feed us. We do not want unnecessary suffering of the animals that we have always hunted and will continue to uphold that belief! The narwhals being culled will feed many families within the Eastern Arctic and just in time for Christmas ! It is truly a time to celebrate ! Families not able to feed themselves through store bought groceries (the most expensive in Canada) will now be a little more at peace during the holidays now that there will be food. Food given through nature's own way of adjusting to those that will benefit the most: natures own inhabitants who have always been close to nature and are attuned more than most to their own surroundings. This culling is the most humane and least form of suffering available to these poor narwhals, outside of a miraculous melting of the ice.which by the way we do have a bone to pick with the rest of you on a global scale. I wonder how much more are trapped suffering and to eventually suffocate away from the prying eyes of us humans?? Through this culling families will now be fed for months to come showing that God does work in wondrous ways.

Captain Paul Watson: Don't give me that mealy mouthed tripe about respect. What the men with the rifles did to those intelligent and gentle sentient creatures was NOT respect by any stretch of the imagination. Justify it any way you wish to appease your conscience but what occurred was not respect - it was a savage display of human arrogance.

The Canadian government could have broken those whales out of there. They spend millions defending those barbaric Newfoundland and Magdalen Island seal butchers. In truth I hold DFO responsible for this massacre. The Inuit were merely the executioners but the responsibility lies with the government of Canada.

I cannot believe however that you would actually use the word celebrate in the context of defending this despicable slaughter. And as with all killers, you justify the butchery by citing God as your guide and excuse. Mr. Audla, there is no natural world anymore. We have destroyed it - all of us, there are no innocent humans. And don't give me this "bone to pick" drivel about climate change. You participate in the destruction with your snowmobiles, appliances, heating, rifles, aircraft and every other modern convenience you use. You're just as involved as the rest of us. I admit to being a hypocrite because the entire human race is a hypocritical species.

Merry Christmas to you and your families!  May Peace & Harmony be with you.

Captain Paul Watson: This Christmas, we will be defending whales from the industrialized illegal slaughter by the Japanese whaling fleet. We won't be celebrating in a world where the non-humans have no peace and harmony from the rapacious assaults by humanity.

Enlighten yourselves.

Captain Paul Watson: We are always in the process of doing so Mr. Audla. I suggest you do likewise.

Terry Audla
Qikiqtani Inuit Association
Executive Director 

"Protecting & Promoting Inuit Rights & Values"