The weekend death of a gray whale off the coast of Washington State, after an alleged illegal hunt by the local Makah Tribe is sending shockwaves around the world. The Humane Society of the United States reacted to the news Sunday by saying the incident was “deeply disturbing.”

According to reports, the animal did not die until hours later despite being harpooned and shot with a machine gun, experiencing prolonged suffering before death. The matter is being investigated by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service and the Makah Tribal Police.

“The death of this whale is extremely disturbing, not only because this is a flagrant violation of federal law but also due to the inhumaneness of the hunt and the amount of suffering the whale had to endure,” said Kitty Block, vice president of Humane Society International. “In light of this illegal killing, we ask that consideration of waivers for the Makah tribe cease until a full investigation into the matter has been completed.”

Less than two weeks ago at a meeting of the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, members of the Makah tribal government publicly stated that they would not kill any resident whales, like this California gray, that are feeding and therefore more vulnerable.

The Makah tribe claims a treaty with the federal government allows them to hunt whales. However, they must still follow proper legal procedures by providing a thorough review of potential environmental impacts of a hunt in order to receive waiver exemption from the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which protects whales in U.S. waters.

The Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society International condemns those involved for flouting U.S. law and hunting this whale before the environmental review was completed and the waiver approved. This could set a dangerous precedent regarding proper adherence to the process put in place to protect our wildlife and environment. It also puts the U.S. government in a difficult position when calling on other countries to comply with international environmental treaties and laws while allowing loopholes in its own enforcement.

Block continued, “We express grave concern for the welfare of whales that are struck but not killed immediately. Even good shots may not result in instant insensibility. When a whale is struck and lost at sea, the animal is certain to experience a slow, painful death.”

Meanwhile on Sunday, the Makah Tribal Council issued a statement “denouncing the actions of those who took it upon themselves to hunt a whale without the authority from the Makah Tribal Council or the Makah Whaling Commission,” and said further that “we are a law-abiding people and we will not tolerate lawless conduct by any of our members. We hope the public does not permit the actions of five irresponsible persons to be used to harm the image of the entire Makah tribe.”