Activists lob stink bombs at whaling ship

TOKYO, March 3 (UPI) -- Four crew members were injured Monday when an anti-whaling group threw bad-smelling acid at a Japanese whaling ship, it was reported.

Protesters from the Sea Shepherd conservation society lobbed bags of butyric acid aboard the Nisshin Maru, CNN reported. Butyric acid is a weak acid found in rancid butter and vomit.

Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Itsunori Onodera spoke of the incident during an international seminar for African and Asian delegates to the International Whaling Commission, but did not elaborate about the injuries.

Sea Shepherd's U.S. office confirmed the group did lob butyric acid aboard the ship, but the office said it did not know of any injuries.

"The crew deployed over two dozen bottles of rotten butter, sending a stench throughout the whale killing ship that will remain for days," the organization said in a statement.