Posted on 09/26/2003 6:20:53 AM PDT by dead
Poachers have allegedly used a chainsaw and axe to cut a jaw off one of nine sperm whales that died after beaching themselves on Western Australia's rugged southern coast.
The nine whales - all badly slashed - were found stranded yesterday morning in shallow water near a reef off Bremer Bay, 520 km south-east of Perth.
Six were dead by the time a passing fisherman spotted the pod, but all had died by late last night, wildlife officers said today.
The dead whales cannot be removed because of their sheer weight - about 20 tonnes each - and because of the danger to wildlife officers of predators such as sharks, which could come in to feed on the carcasses.
Despite the whales having beached themselves in a rugged part of the southern coastline, poachers last night managed to hack the lower jaw off one of the creatures - using a chainsaw and axe.
A wildlife officer camping near the carcasses caught a group of people who used a 4WD to negotiate rough tracks to the beach to extract sought-after teeth from the whales.
The teeth are lucrative on the black market, for purposes such as "scrimshaw" - the carving or scratching of words or pictures.
Sperm whales, even when dead, are a protected species, and it is an offence under WA's Wildlife Conservation Act to remove parts of the mammals or to sell those parts.
Severe penalties apply under federal legislation if poachers are caught exporting whale products.
A man is being interviewed today by the Conservation and Land Management department (CALM) over last night's incident.
CALM spokesman David Mell said the officer who was guarding the dead pod heard the poacher's 4WD and warned the party not to try to remove any parts of the whales.
The officer left the area but later heard a chainsaw.
When he returned, the group was leaving the beach. He stopped the vehicle and seized the power tool - which was covered in whale blood and tissue - and also confiscated a similarly-splattered axe.
The group had allegedly removed the lower jaw of one of the whales, which weighed about 40 kilograms. In sperm whales, only the lower jaw has teeth.
The jaw of a full-grown male sperm whale can be about two metres long, and contain 18 to 29 pairs of teeth.
"We're certainly disappointed that people aren't showing restraint and some degree of respect for the animals," Mr Mell said.
"Even though they are dead, and they are on the beach, they are of scientific interest.
"The museum is collecting specimens, and we would strongly advocate that people not be tempted to remove parts of whales."
AAP
OK, this is defintely the stupidest thing I have heard of...
There was an article recently that said the estimated "proper" number of whales in the world was dramatically ratcheted up -- because the previous "proper" number was reached. How can you sustain the panic if you have reached the "proper" number? Well, increase the number desired and maintain the panic. That'll work.
I figure the reason the corpses are protected is to prevent cover for poachers. If the corpses were not protected, how could you tell the difference between teeth taken from a corpse and teeth taken from whales killed by poachers? Once the decision to protect live sperm whales is made, protection of carcasses would seem to aid in that goal.
How many Sperm Whales are there in the world?
Estimates range from 360,000 to 2,500,000 depending on the agenda of the estimater. Either way, there’s plenty.
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