testmeat photoblog

grytviken is a settlement in south georgia which was established as a whaling station in the early nineteenth century. for over sixty years whales were hunted and taken to this station to extract their valuable oil in what was a truly barbaric process. the seals on this island were also hunted, either for their blubber or their soft pelts, and it was such a profitable business that the numbers of whales and seals rapidly declined. largely as a result of the scarcity of these animals the whaling station closed down in 1966, and walking around grytviken now is an eerie experience. with rusted old structures, wrecked ships and derelict machinery - it's full of reminders of the horror and brutality that was present less than a century ago. thankfully the numbers of whales and seals in the southern ocean have rebounded now that humans no longer have any incentive to massacre them, and there was something poetic to walk amongst the dilapidation and see the original inhabitants who have reclaimed their land.

the weather also seemed very appropriate, which is more visible in this closer crop