Woman outraged by 'whale bone porn'

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 26 (UPI) -- A British Columbia woman said she wants the Vancouver Maritime Museum to deep six a display of whale bones with sexually explicit 19th century engravings.

Ann Pimentel, a mother and school teacher, said her 2- and 3-year-old children were needlessly exposed to the "whale bone porn" without any warnings that the scrimshaw -- etchings on hard surfaces from the bodies of sea creatures -- would include sexually explicit images, the National Post reported Tuesday.

Museum curator Patricia Owen said the pieces, part of the "Tattoo and Scrimshaw: The Art of the Sailor" exhibit, went on display last week and will remain until mid-October.

The museum said Pimentel is the only person to have complained about the display, which is raised high off the ground, far above toddler height, and placed under a sign reading, "Hide Your Eyes! These pieces of scrimshaw are not intended for children."