Captain Jessie Treverton of an anti-whaling environmental group was found guilty of breaking animal welfare laws and causing “unnecessary suffering” to a pod of dolphins by a Danish court over the weekend.
The court ruled that Treverton, a member of Greenpeace splinter group — The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) — had harassed a pod of dolphins in 2014 when attempting to prevent whaling in the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic.
The group tried to frame the court decision as a victory. “I am very happy to accept the court’s verdict that my driving a pod of dolphins to safety was against animal welfare laws, because if the law applies to me then it surely must also apply to the Faroese people,” Treverton said in an email to The Daily Caller News Foundation.
While attempting to protest whaling, a boat belonging to SSCS was boarded by the Danish Navy and several activists were arrested. SSCS was in court attempting to reclaim ownership of the boat, which had been confiscated. In addition to ruling against Treverton personally, the court returned the boat to SSCS.
Whaling in the Faroe Islands is non-commercial and organized on a community level. It is considered by many locals to be an important part of food culture and history. Animal rights groups reguarly criticize the practice as being cruel and unnecessary.
SSCS is on the cutting edge of the anti-whaling activism. Exploits include scuttling whaling vessels in harbor, throwing acid onto whaling vessels, destroying nets and attacking whalers with lasers.
American members of SSCS are currently prohibited by U.S. courts from approaching or harassing whalers.
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