Andy - I agree.
Guys, it's tragic and heartbreaking to know that the animal had to suffer further, and that it's final moments were even more painful and traumatic than before the officers stepped in, but I think we need to keep the big picture in mind and not jump to accusations too quickly.
Of all people, I am quick to see red in situations like these, but even I, though upset with the incident, see that it was not intended to happen that way.
This animal had been observed for several days prior to this, hanging out in the reef, rolling and thrashing, exhibiting physical discomfort and disorientation. This was not a simple "accidental beach" of a healthy animal that was exterminated because it was cheaper than towing it back out to sea.
Quite the opposite. This animal was obviously in distress, and whatever it was suffering from, was showing no signs of recovery. Reefs are by far, not a whales natural stomping grounds so the fact that this large pelagic animal was stationing himself in this area was a red flag from the start.
Additionally, carrying out this operation was definitely not the cheapest option that these officials had. If they had simply wanted the animal gone, they could have easily secured its fluke and towed it back into open waters to either recover or pass away on its own. And if they were interested in slaughtering the animal for any other reason (as they have been compared to Japanese Poaching), I doubt they would have wasted the money on expensive explosives when chain saws, machetes, or other tools could have been used to efficiently and heartlessly complete the task.
But they didn't do that, because their goal was to end the suffering. They had watched this animal for days, had gotten in the water with it, trying to encourage it into deeper waters, looking over its body for any obvious external cause for such discomfort. If you have a trained eye, you can see this in the attached video, and others available through a search. The average person might overlook this, but if you pay attention, they took the time to assess the animal and aid it as much as they could before taking action on their final decision.
Sadly they miscalculated the amount needed for such the first time, but this was nothing intentional, and it should only further go to show you that this is not a routine practice of theirs, nor one which they were proud of having to carry out.
I know it's a horrible situation, but lets not reduce ourselves to finger-pointing and name calling. Take the time to see as much footage as you can and read the articles, and you will be able to understand the full situation and where their minds and hearts were at the time. I assure you that malice and ignorance, were not factors here.
