The
sun has set on yet another appalling day of brutal capture and
slaughter of dolphins off the coast in Taiji, Japan. As dolphin
pods, or families, are split apart and murdered, calves
heart-wrenchingly taken from their mothers, scarred dolphins throwing
themselves at the feet of journalist activists, as if they are
begging for mercy before being brutally, fatally hunted, it is more
apparent than ever that mainstream public awareness is crucial to the
survival of these innocent, peaceful guardian creatures of the
oceans.
While
human history is highlighted by many examples of brave leadership,
innovation, scientific breakthroughs, it is also marred by modern day
slavery and age old genocide. Civilization has since become
enlightened to the horrors of slavery and the atrocities of genocide,
lets not allow these ruthless acts continue against the world's
dolphin population.
We
literally steal animals now from its own free environment and we get
them to work for free providing food and some small housing just like
we did back in the days with Jewish people and with African American
people. And, after capturing them, if they do not fit that physical
ability to do that manual labor, the people enslaving others would
kill them.
This
practice is not limited to dolphins. Whales, elephants, rhinos,
tigers, lions, apes - animals people pay to watch for entertainment
were taken from their natural habitat and enslaved for the purpose of
corporate profit. This type of slavery must end. It's time is
overdue.
Some
of these magnificent creatures are killed for their meat, for a tusk
of ivory, for a horn or, as in the case of dolphins, no reason at
all. Dolphin meat is not consumed by people outside of Taiji, parts of
their anatomy are not used for art, jewelry or display.
These
acts can be likened to Europeans and Americans forcing Africans from
their families and their homeland to become slaves, the property of
others, forced to perform as their master's commanded. Shame on
corporations, such as Sea World, paying for the capture and
enslavement of creatures from the sea for human entertainment.
It
is not limited to SeaWorld, the same goes with any place that uses
animals and wildlife to make money for human entertainment.
The
annual dolphin hunt season in Taiji, Japan runs from September to
March. International conservationists and activists travel to Taiji to
broadcast the slaughter each day of the season each year. The locals
in Taiji, Japan consider the broadcast harassment. I consider the hunt
barbaric and, just as human slavery is illegal, I believe it should
be illegal to slaughter dolphins and to steal animals from their
habitat to be used for human purposes or corporate profit.
The
slaughtering and capturing of dolphins began in Taiji, a small Japanese village with a population of 3500 residents. Taiji is located
within the Wakayama area of Japan. The Taiji locals corner the
defenseless dolphin pods into a corner of a cove and use harpoons,
repeatedly, fatally stabbing each dolphin and turning the once aqua
waters a murderous red. The Taiji locals consider this a "traditional
hunting practice." In spite of the 2009 Academy Award-winning
documentary film "The Cove," and tremendous conservation
efforts by individuals such as Ric O'Barry and a group called The
Cove guardians, it appears, more is needed to bring this issue to
mainstream public consciousness.
After
having many conversations with family and friends over the
Thanksgiving holiday, it appears that many have engaged in a sort of
group think and seem to block out the atrocities that must be
involved in bringing these 'adorable Shamus' creatures to SeaWorld to
delight the grandchildren. Others seem completely unaware of the
issue.
Regardless
of perception, the Wakayaman government has passed laws that violate
international law. International Law forbids hunting dolphins and
porpoises except when such hunting is in accordance with "Traditional
hunting practices." The Taiji dolphin hunt began in 1968. The
Wakayaman Perfectural Government falsely claims the practice of this
hunt has been going on since the 17th century and falls within the
exclusion of the international law forbidding the hunting of dolphins
and porpoises. They are not acting out of tradition, they are acting
out of bloodthirst and greed.
In
so doing, the Wakayaman government allows the brutal slaughter of
2000 dolphins and porpoises each year in violation of international
law.
Other
than an element of people in a tiny market in the town of Taiji,
dolphin meat is not exported to anywhere else in the world.
Just
stated that in recent years, the Taiji dolphin hunt has become an
active place for activists. I personally found out about it when I
saw that Academy Award-winning 2009 film The Cove, which documents
the hunt and raised awareness of Taiji's dolphin hunting industry
internationally. I contacted the film makers during the film in
disbelief that happened every year, let alone every day during it.
Conservationist
group The Dolphin Project which is organized by Ric O'Barry has had a
presence during every season, broadcasting live video feeds of it
while protesting on land in the village with its' live Internet feed,
and has helped gain great awareness about it every year. They have
also mobilized protests at Embassy's and have garnered many kids to
protest against the practice.
On
January 19, 2014, many organizations like the Sustainable Action
Network (SAN) and the Dolphin Project helped to organize and execute
a large social media campaign. This campaign garnered the attention
of US Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy. Ambassador Kennedy wrote
an open letter in opposition to the dolphin hunt to the Japanese
Prime Minister. Other high profile people have become concerned about
the dolphin hunt and traveled to Taiji, japan to witness the hunt in
person. These people include comedian Ricky Gervais, actress Shannon
Doherty and pop singer Harry Stiles.
This
has been a hard year. Pods of Risso dolphins have been captured. One
that included 20 individual dolphins were captured just today. A
group of pilot whales were captured, abused, starved and then,
eventually killed last week. Anywhere between 150-200 have been
killed or captured over the last three months. I continue to document
these kills daily at my blog and at Sunset-Daily when writing up the
Morning Joe Recap every week day; however, again this year, the task
has become daunting.
Time-lapse footage with a counter showing the death process over a seven minute period (again a warning, this is extremely graphic).
This other video shows a large pod of maybe 80-95 Pilot Whales taken from their home in the ocean and driven to the Cove in Taiji to be slaughtered the next day. A pilot whale captured in a drive hunt can now be seen floating upside down in a pen in Taiji’s harbour. The pen is too small for the whale to swim around and submerge itself, so it is overheating under the hot sun. This pilot was observed over several days. The dolphin trainers did not bother to move it to a larger pen or release it, and the pilot whale eventually died.
Perhaps
one of the most distressing aspects of the dolphin hunt to witness is
the confused reaction of the dolphins. Dolphins instinctively are
trusting and protective creatures. They literally trust their captors
as they are led into a corner of the cove and slaughtered. Have you
ever seen a dolphin guide a sea lion, seal or even a drowning dog to
safety? Videos of just that depicting this nurturing dolphin behavior
can be viewed on YouTube. The reaction of the dolphins as they
realize they have been betrayed is hard but important to watch. They
are tired, they stare, bewildered above the water, scratches and cuts
apparent all over their magnificent bodies. The dolphins appear so
very confused as if they are wondering why this is happening as they
are stabbed over and over as they slowly and painfully die along with
the rest of the adults in their pod.
To
add to this cruelty, the hunters separate the calves from their
mothers and release the calves, unable yet to fend for themselves,
into the great ocean waters. Hence, the hunters seal the calves fate:
to become food for larger ocean prey.
Even
with the hype around it, Japan officials defend dolphin hunting atin
the Taiji Cove. And, like I said above here, the locals defend the
practice.
The
hunt also drew publicity in January 2014 when a rare albino dolphin
later named "Angel" was caught, captured and sentenced to a
life swimming in small circles in a museum in Taiji, Japan. The
Wakayama Prefectural Government declined CNN's request for an
interview about their practice of hunting and capturing dolphins.
Instead, the government referred CNN to it's website that contains
the stock position that "residents viewed dolphins and whales as
legitimate marine resources and that the hunt, a local tradition, was
integral to the town's economic survival." This argument is very
familiar. The southern states also argued that slavery was integral
to economic survival. In a civilized, humane society, there MUST be a
moral line that can not be crossed for the purpose of economic
profit. Taiji Japan crosses that line.
Besides,
that is not a true statement. This town is not going to be starved to
its deaths if they do NOT eat Dolphin meat. The claim made by
Government officials is that the town is "located far away from
the centers of economic activity, the town has a 400-year history as
the cradle of whaling, and has flourished over the years thanks to
whaling and the dolphin fishery," is what the statement said
verbatim. It went on to state that "the dolphin fishery is still
an indispensable industry for the local residents to make their
living.”
Only
a person completely lacking compassion could have knowledge of the
methods used in this annual hunt and not feel a sense of indignation.
Drive Hunting, the technique used to guide, trap and capture or kill
the dolphins is well documented in the Academy Award-winning
Documentary "The Cove.' Drive hunting is performed with a weapon
called a metal banger pole. The metal banger pole is used to create a
wall of sound meant to disorient and deafen the dolphins. In this
state, the dolphins are driven to swim away from the sound and into
the shallow waters of the infamous cove.
The
cove hunt has become so well known that it was referred to in the
latest Ben Stiller film, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb."
In the film, the character Atilla the Hun is portrayed abusing a
dolphin. Ben Stiller's character reacts and exclaims: “Atilla, you
don't beat up dolphins! They're gentle creatures, but you were
hacking away at him like it was 'The Cove' or something."
Once
driven into the cove, the dolphins become ensnared in nets placed by
the hunters. The killers use large metal rods to probe and puncture
the spinal cords of their victims. The dolphins and pilot whales
finally die by either blood loss or suffocation by drowning in their
own blood. When the killers have a successful, murderous day, the
term "Red Cove Day" is announced because they have
succeeded in the barbaric act of turning the once beautiful blue
water of the cove a blood red coat of color. Conservationist
activists use the term "Blue Cove Day" on the rare days
when no dolphins or pilot whales are killed or captured.
You
can watch that happen every day on live feeds at Ric O' Barry's “The
Dolphin Project' web site.
Taiji
fishermen's union representatives have told CNN reporters that their
methods of spine-severing is a humane method of killing the dolphins.
These
hunters are cowards. When filmed transporting live dolphins for their
meat, they sought cover to hide when approached by cameras. They
block activists from filming it as much as possible.
As
a matter of fact, this form of activism, recording and speaking to
the hunters has been labeled harassment by the Japanese government.
Several individuals have been arrested for attempting to help the
dolphins or record the activities of the hunters. The Japanese
government is condoning this activity by allowing the hunters to hide
and by attempting to shield this behavior from public awareness. In
fact, Taiji's mayor, Kazutaka Sangen, told the Associated Press "we
are hunting under the permission of the Japanese government and
prefecture, and so we will continue to protect our fisherman and the
methods. We will not quit." Do these officials in Japan have any
shame? Why do they want to hide their "traditional practices"
from cameras?
I
maintain that there should be an amendment to the current
international law about protecting sea life from international
waters. I feel that they should not be able to guide them into their
shores and eventually into the Taiji cove. The Japanese laws allowing
this 47 year old barbaric method of hunting dolphins and whales can
not legally not supersede the international laws protecting them. The
international community must not lack the will to stop this practice.
A
simple review of the money trail reveals the motive of the dolphin
and whale hunt in Taiji. The motive is not tradition, it is greed. Ric
O'Barry, former dolphin trainer and documentarian said in that same
interview, "while many of the dolphins were killed and sold for
meat, the most attractive specimens were (are) rounded up during the
drive hunting were (are) taken alive and sold to aquariums for sums
in excess of $100,000 an animal. These captures were the real
"economic underpinning" of the annual hunt." "You'd
get $400-500 for a dead dolphin's meat, but there's a lot of money
for a live one, and that's what keeps this thing going," he goes
on to say about the practice.
Besides,
the young, beautiful and more suitable ones selected for human
entertainment and for private companies to make money that way, are
forced to be with their families while they are killed in this netted
pen area inside the cove in Taiji.
About
700 to 1,000 dolphins are killed every year during seasons, and about
150 to 200 are taken into captivity every year and during every
season.
Those
numbers are down from 2010 and 2011 when 2,252 dolphins were caught
by Taiji's hunters and when 302 were sold to marine parks (according
to Ceta-Base). During those years back in 2010 and in 2011, 177
Dolphins were exported which if you use easy math, 125 dolphins
(41%), were sold in Japan.
The
true motivation for it is greed. Everyone can do that math rather
easily because since the practice begun back in the late 1960's, more
money is made by using these animals for the sake of human
entertainment. They are stealing these animals as a way to make a lot
of money. Just like people have done with their human slaves. It
shifted from humans to animals.
Several
Japanese zoos and aquariums voted this year to stop buying and
selling dolphins taken during the notorious Taiji hunt. However, it
does not seem to be letting up at all this year. The Japanese
Association of Zoos and Aquariums has banned the buying and selling
of dolphins with the animals taken from the annual hunt off the coast
in Taiji. The organization that oversees 37 Japanese marine parks,
voted for the measure this year after a threat of being cast out from
the organization by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums opposes what are considered
to be drive hunts, in which these animals are driven into a confined
space to be killed or to be carted off to a place to perform for
human entertainment
The
ban happens to be what is considered "a big step because it's a
statement from within the industry," says Courtney Vail,
campaign and programs manager at the United Kingdom-based group Whale
and Dolphin Conservation. But Vail also said in that interview that
she highly doubts that the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums
step actually would put an end to the annual hunting season. "I
do believe that the drive hunts will not end until the overall ethic
towards whales and dolphins that permeates Japan's political and
social culture evolves," she says.
That
ban should affect dolphinariums that have depended on the hunting
season in Taiji as its "a quick and easy source of the marine
mammals." According to the 2013 Elsa Nature Conservancy survey,
about 600 dolphins live in 54 marine parks in Japan, 37 of which are
members of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The
Japanese association's secretary-general, Naonori Okada, has said
that the group's members keep upward of 250 dolphins, and that
Japanese aquariums have purchased an average of 20 Taiji dolphins a
year. Export data indicates that Japanese marine parks have been more
reliant on Taiji dolphins than the reported 250.
According
to Japan Times survey, five members of the Japanese association say
that they will quit the organization as its way to continue buy
dolphins caught off the coast in Taiji. Another two entities also say
that they could feasibly quit too, leaving 16 companies in it that
state that they will remain members.
What
I am seeing happen more often today is also what I call to be 'smoke
and mirrors' because let us take SeaWorld for example. They state now
that they will not use any more animals caught or captured, however,
they merely breed the ones already in captivity. Some are used as
breeding machines.
The
town of Taiji has considered tying off a section in the cove used to
snag these dolphins to create a breeding center.
Being
bred to die or bred to entertain for humans while being in captivity
is no answer to this problem.
"We
will have a small team on the ground [in Taiji] for the [season],"
again this year says Ric O'Barry. "This year we have to pay
attention to who is capturing dolphins. The main dealer is the Taiji
Whale Museum, and they are a member of JAZA." I must assume Ric
means who is buying them from the people capturing them but the
people at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation are also paying serious
attention to how the World Association Of Zoos and Aquariums and how
the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums respond to how these
animals are actually purchased and gotten outside of Taiji.
The
overall issue is the demand (or lack there of) to view Dolphins and
all animals in live performances for human entertainment. The problem
is that it is like a 'whack a mole' game in the sense that maybe its
being reduced a bit in America, however, in places like Russia and in
Abu Dabi, are the new markets. For instance, the CFO at Sea World was
fired this year and the new one makes no bones about creating
revenues in International markets. We now have to depend on the
people in those countries to get that uncomfortable feeling (like I
get) when they see an animal swimming in a pool the size of the one
in our back yards or when they see one in a cage the size of our
bedroom. But that is where the money is at for the hunters in Taiji,
Japan.
This video shows “Misty”, a dolphin kept at the Dolphin Base dolphinarium in Taiji. Misty is easily identified by his only toy, a yellow fishing buoy he carries constantly in his mouth. Misty sometimes plays with his buoy, but usually floats lifelessly in his tiny and overcrowded tank.
There
has to be a global effort to not use these animals and wildlife as a
way for its companies to make money.
Like
I said many times here, it is modern day slavery. It is slavery but
with animals. And, that we have shifted from enslaving humans in this
same exact way, to animals. (Jodi Block Paisner contributed to this
article).
Song ('The Sea') by Richtaste is Produced by Pat Aeby (Krokus, etc.), Music Video Produced by Don Lichterman c/o Sunset Pictures Music Videos
Thanks especially to the tireless and what is endless work of the people that are trying to stop all Dolphin Hunting and Capturing in every way, and thanks to any participants who please, if you want to be credited in any way, contact us now at artistdevelopment@sunsetrecordings.com. We will do it that minute.
Also, this video is monetized in some way (ad shares, amounts of plays, amounts of views, etc.) and therefore any and I mean 100% of all revenues made from it, will go to the Oceanic Preservation Society (makers of the COVE) and to the Dolphin Project. As a matter of fact, we have set up an automated monthly payment which I am matching BTW, every month. Thanks for the help and for your participation in stopping all wildlife crime. Your tax-deductible donation helps the Oceanic Preservation Society often receives requests from supporters of our organization inquiring about their ability to raise money for OPS. Past request have included charitable fundraising programs by students, individuals doing charity walks or hikes, or individuals who were moved by our work and who just want to help us raise funds. Such independent fundraising activities are possible and greatly appreciated. The following is background information on OPS and how that independent fundraising should be conducted:
• Oceanic Preservation Society is a registered 501(c)(3) Public Charity, Tax ID 38-3891081
• Donations from individuals in the form of cash or check can be tax deductible to the donor as a charitable income tax deduction;
• Donations in the form of checks is preferable to donations in cash;
• If a fundraiser is soliciting funding, then any checks should be written to Oceanic Preservation Society, rather than to the fundraiser;
• The fundraiser should provide OPS with the name and address of each donor so that OPS can provide each donor with a letter acknowledging the donation for income tax purposes; and
• The fundraiser should indicate that he or she is merely selecting OPS as his or her charity of choice for his or her fundraising activities and that the fundraiser is not officially associated with OPS.
Become a Monthly Sustaining Donor or a One-time Donor Below.
(http://www.opsociety.org/what-you-can-do/as-a-donor).
Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the USA (Tax ID 47-1665067), and donations are fully tax-deductible.
Also, please visit this artists web site at www.Richtaste.sunsetrecordings.com and visit Sunset Records at anytime at www.sunsetrecordings.com.
10
Facts You Didn’t Know About The Taiji Dolphin Slaughter (the
following list was compiled by Alexandra Piotrowski at RYOT)
If
you’re at all interested in the dolphin slaughter, you need to know
these ten facts about it:
1.
THE DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER ISN’T ACTUALLY A TRADITION.
Proponents
of the practice are quick to call it a “cultural tradition,” but
the practice of en masse dolphin killing truly started when the
motorboat engine was invented and adopted into the mainstream. “This
is like one generation, and that’s not ‘traditional,'” says
Lincoln O’Barry of the Dolphin Project. “[The Japanese] could go
kill with traditional whaling and go in big 20 man canoes and paddle
out and kill a whale, but they’d never slaughter 100s of dolphins
before.”
2.
. . . BUT EVEN IF IT WERE A TRADITION, IT COULD CHANGE.
The
Soloman Islands are one of few remaining indigenous and tribal areas
on Earth, and they used to hunt dolphins for food and cultural
reasons. When O’Barry visited them, they were using dolphin teeth
as currency. After several months of living with the native people,
O’Barry was able to educate them about dolphin conservation enough
for them to alter their practices. “They stopped after a thousand
years of tradition. It shows people can change.”
3.
THE ENTIRE LOCAL FISHING INDUSTRY ISN’T BASED ON THE DOLPHIN
SLAUGHTER.
Taiji’s
fishing industry isn’t entire contingent on the relative success of
the dolphin slaughter. Stopping the slaughter would put “50 people
out of business,” says O’Barry. While 50 out of 300 is still a
considerable percentage, those 50 happen to be the richest people in
the small town who make most of their profits specifically from the
slaughter. “There are 300 other fishermen in Taiji that fish for
other things, not dolphins.”
4.
THE HIGHLY LUCRATIVE DOLPHIN CAPTIVITY INDUSTRY IS TRULY WHAT
MOTIVATES THE SLAUGHTER.
“A
dead dolphin… is worth about $500 in meat. A wild dolphin,” like
those captured in Taiji during the slaughter, “to keep in an
aquarium alive can be worth over $130,000.”
5.
A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE, NOT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY OF JAPAN, IS
RESPONSIBLE.
Many
Japanese citizens aren’t informed of the practice, motivation and
effects of the dolphin slaughter — not even the people in Taiji.
“We printed copies of The Cove in Japanese, and actually put them
in every mail slot in every house in Taiji,” O’Barry says of
Dolphin Project’s on-the-ground efforts to change this horrific
practice. “I would personally relate the numbers of slaughtered
dolphins dropping to this.”
6.
THE DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER ISN’T IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE JAPANESE.
Aside
from a small group that profits immensely from the practice, most
Japanese people don’t benefit at all from it. “No one in Japan
mentions the word ‘mercury,'” laments O’Barry. Dolphin meat has
some of the highest concentrations of the element, and consuming it
can lead to severe neurological problems, from migraines to impaired
motor skills.
7.
THE JAPANESE ARE ALSO TAKING ACTION AGAINST THE SLAUGHTER.
2013
was the first year there was a Japanese activist standing up in
protest at the cove. “This is about identifying and showing that
it’s not all Japanese people,” says Lincoln. “There was a lot
of anti-Japanese sentiment during the big whaling movement in the
1970s. All that really accomplished was that Japanese-American kids
would get beat up on the playground. You can’t boycott a race of
people just because of what a handful of people are doing in Taiji.
That’s insane.”
8.
LESS DOLPHINS ARE BEING KILLED EACH YEAR, THANKS TO AWARENESS AND
GLOBAL PRESSURE.
In
2009, 2,500 dolphins were slaughtered. In 2010, 2,000. In 2012, only
800 were killed. That’s still 800 too many, but it proves that
change can happen when passionate people take action.
9.
THE WAY TO SUSTAIN CHANGE IS BY CHANGING HEARTS AND MINDS.
Getting
mad doesn’t solve anything, and blaming a group of people doesn’t
help either. The methods that have worked over the years and reduced
the number of murdered dolphins are education and communication.
O’Barry tells a powerful story about a Taiji dolphin hunter he
knew: “There was a 3rd generation dolphin hunter that one day had a
moment of epiphany that he couldn’t do it anymore. He’s now
converted his dolphin hunting boat into a dolphin watching boat.”
10.
YOU’RE NOT POWERLESS IN THIS SITUATION.
From
signing petitions to sharing the facts on social media, there is a
lot that you can do to help change this situation. The strongest
weapon you have is your voice — use it to speak out against this
atrocity and inspire change.
Footage courtesy of "The Cove", AtlanticBlue.de, Martyn Stewart, Whale Dolphin Conservation and BlueVoice.org.
Footage courtesy of "The Cove", AtlanticBlue.de, Martyn Stewart, Whale Dolphin Conservation and BlueVoice.org.
