Is whaling cruel? Do whales suffer when being killed?
Modern whalers use explosive harpoons that detonate a penthrite grenade in the head or thorax of the whale to induce neurotrauma and thereby death. This is, at present, considered to be the most humane method. The UK continues to try to improve welfare in whaling, at the 2006 IWC meeting the UK convened a special meeting on whale killing methods and associated welfare to try to improve all aspects of welfare in whaling. However, whaling can still be appallingly cruel and the whale often takes minutes to die. The methods used to kill Fin whales (the second largest animals ever to have lived on the planet) are especially cruel. The much larger Fin whales (which are up to 12 times heavier than Minke whales) are clearly more difficult to kill and may well have much longer times to death. Blubber thickness, bone structure and location of vital organs differ between species and influence the efficiency of a particular killing method, including the course of the harpoon through the body. Thes
