Tourists on a Norwegian environmentalist whale-watching expedition recently got a big surprise:

While the tourists were admiring one of the great mammals of the sea, however, a Norwegian whaling boat approached and shot the whale in front of their eyes…

As if the shooting wasn’t enough, the tourists were also treated to the sight of another whaling boat hauling one of their own dead whales up on deck…

Jan Kristiansen, who represents the whalers, defended the shootings. He claimed the whalers were simply taking advantage of the nice weather, when the hunting is best…

“We can’t prevent them from being against the hunt, and they can’t prevent us from hunting”…

Passenger Gertjan Toorenaar said he’d heard of Norway’s whale hunt before, “but it was something else to see it with our own eyes. This is a part of the Norwegian culture, but I don’t like it at all.”

Sounds like Mr. Toorenaar is failing to show the proper respect for Norwegian cultural diversity. (Via Rand Simberg.)