According to The Sankei Shimbun, 20 brokers participated in a lottery held in Taiji to determine purchase orders for wild-caught dolphins. The mammals will be chased, harassed, separated from family pods and captured from the wild for a life of performing, breeding and public display. The capture process is violent and traumatic, with many animals injured, some seriously.
On July 3, 2015, the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA) announced that member aquariums can be expelled for acquiring dolphins caught in the brutal hunts in Taiji. In addition, members were required to submit certificates indicating where their dolphins were bought. JAZA implemented these procedures after being threatened with eviction from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), as their purchases of dolphins violated its code of ethics and animal welfare.
The buyers of these innocent dolphins are not members of JAZA or WAZA, thus, they are not required to follow such codes of ethics or conduct. Where these animals will ultimately end up is anyone’s guess, their living conditions as good – or as bad – as the aquarium or marine park they will be shipped to.
About half of the dolphins caught in Taiji in recent years have been exported to facilities in China, South Korea and Russia. With no oversights or regulations, one can only imagine what these dolphins might face.
Dolphin Project will be on the ground during on Taiji during the entire hunting season, documenting and disseminating information. Follow us on our social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live posts throughout the season.
Last Years Dolphin Drive Hunt Results
This page will attempt to compile catch statistics and fisheries data for small cetaceans taken during drive hunts. Data is gathered from land-based observer reports and from official progress reports released by the National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries (NRIFSF) of the Fisheries Research Agency of Japan (FRA) and the Fisheries Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Government of Japan.
Ceta-Base would like to thank the countless volunteers who currently (and in season's past) perform the unimaginable task of bearing witness through groups such as Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians, Dolphin Project, Save Japan Dolphins and to those non-affiliated. Daily reports provided by witnesses on the ground were crucial to compiling this record- See more at: http://www.ceta-base.org/taiji/drive/results.php#sthash.C7JKbW00.dpuf
11-Feb-2016 Bottlenose T.t. gilli 18 0 6 12 0
09-Feb-2016 Striped S. coeruleoalba 36 36 0 0 0
08-Feb-2016 Risso's G. griseus 18 12 0 6 0
07-Feb-2016 Bottlenose T.t. gilli 27 3 11 13 0
05-Feb-2016 Bottlenose T.t. gilli 20 17 3 0 0
04-Feb-2016 Risso's G. griseus 4 4 0 0 0
03-Feb-2016 Risso's G. griseus 7 7 0 0 0
01-Feb-2016 Risso's G. griseus 6 6 0 0 0
31-Jan-2016 Striped S. coeruleoalba 18 18 0 0 0
28-Jan-2016 White-sided, Pacific L. obliquidens 4 0 4 0 0
27-Jan-2016 Risso's G. griseus 7 7 0 0 0
22-Jan-2016 Striped S. coeruleoalba 67 67 0 0 0
22-Jan-2016 Striped S. coeruleoalba 25 25 0 0 0
21-Jan-2016 Risso's G. griseus 13 11 2 0 0
17-Jan-2016 Risso's G. griseus 5 5 0 0 0
14-Jan-2016 Bottlenose T.t. gilli 7 3 0 4 0
12-Jan-2016 Striped S. coeruleoalba 50 50 0 0 0
09-Jan-2016 Risso's G. griseus 16 16 0 0 0
07-Jan-2016 Risso's G. griseus 13 11 2 0 0
06-Jan-2016 Bottlenose, Pacific T.t. gilli 6 6 0 0 0
05-Jan-2016 Striped S. coeruleoalba 35 35 0 0 0
04-Jan-2016 Risso's G. griseus 16 16 0 0 0
20-Dec-2015 Bottlenose, Pacific T.t. gilli 90 31 29 30 0
18-Dec-2015 Striped S. coeruleoalba 36 36 0 0 0
16-Dec-2015 Risso's G. griseus 8 8 0 0 0
29-Nov-2015 Risso's G. griseus 6 6 0 0 0
19-Nov-2015 Pilot, Short-finned G. macrorhychus 74 51 1 22 0
16-Nov-2015 Risso's G. griseus 9 0 2 7 0
15-Nov-2015 Risso's G. griseus 15 15 0 0 0
10-Nov-2015 Bottlenose T.t. gilli 14 6 5 3 0
04-Nov-2015 Risso's G. griseus 15 13 2 0 0
31-Oct-2015 Risso's G. griseus 7 7 0 0 0
30-Oct-2015 Striped S. coeruleoalba 23 23 0 0 0
28-Oct-2015 Risso's G. griseus 29 23 0 6 0
19-Oct-2015 Risso's G. griseus 20 20 0 0 0
14-Oct-2015 Risso's G. griseus 22 22 0 0 0
12-Oct-2015 Risso's G. griseus 4 4 0 0 0
09-Oct-2015 Risso's G. griseus 9 9 0 0 0
23-Sep-2015 Risso's G. griseus 11 11 0 0 0
19-Sep-2015 Bottlenose, Pacific T.t. gilli 80 0 50 30 0
11-Sep-2015 Risso's G. griseus 12 12 0 0 0
2015/2016 Season Notes:
16-Nov-2015:7-9 Risso's driven, 02 animals taken as live-capture, the remaining 5-7 released
15-Nov-2015:12-15 Risso's driven, held overnight & slaughtered on 16 Nov.
10-Nov-2015:Transfer, 02 Risso's from harbor pens to unknown facility.
18-Oct-2015:Transfer, 02 female bottlenose from harbor pens to Taiji Whale Museum.
12-Oct-2015:4 Risso's driven, all were slaughtered (SS).
09-Oct-2015:8-9 Risso's driven, all were slaughtered (SS estimate).
23-Sep-2015:11 Risso's driven, 1 drowned during capture. All animals were slaughtered.
19-Sep-2015:Large pod of bottlenose, 78-80 dolphins reported by land-based observers 48-50 live-captured, 30-32 released. Live-capture selection took place over two days (Sep 19th, 20th). Japanese media reports approximately 200 dolphins driven with 20% selected for aquariums.
11-Sep-2015:12 Risso's slaughtered, number reported by Japanese media. (10-15, SS estimate).
- See more at: http://www.ceta-base.org/taiji/drive/results.php#sthash.pQek2TmS.dpuf
Stop Barbaric Dolphin Massacre in Japan.
Goal: Help stop the annual Taiji Dolphin massacre in light of virulent public opposition to the cruel practice.
The barbaric annual slaughter of dolphins must stop. Each year thousands of dolphins, often swimming in pods or families with young calves, are chased by fleets of fishermen until exhausted and rounded up in the now infamous Taiji cove in Japan. These dolphins are then stabbed and bludgeoned to death, leaving the water bright red with blood.
The public has been protesting this cruel practice for years. With international pressure mounting and a recent three-hour protest in front of the Japanese embassy in Washington, D.C., it is obvious that the public wants this barbaric slaughter to end. Dolphin activist Ric O’Barry — best known for being the dolphin trainer in the television series Flipper — has been banned from entering Japan for five years after being arrested for protesting the massacre. This unjust decision must also be revoked.
The brutal annual slaughter will resume from September to April this year unless we fight to stop it. Sign this petition urging the Japanese ambassador to the U.S. to listen to the American and international public’s strong criticism of the Taiji dolphin massacre and use his influence to help put an end to it. PETITION LETTER
How you can help:
Help London Say NO to Taiji’s Dolphin Massacre
Please join us on September 1st. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Let’s end this, once and for all.” ~ Ric O’Barry, Founder/Director of Dolphin Project
WHO: Ric O’Barry, Founder/Director of Dolphin Project will be attending the Japan Dolphins Day demo in London. We encourage everyone in the London area to attend and let your voices be heard. If you are a member of an animal welfare organization, please ask your organization to inform their members about Japan Dolphins Day and the importance of showing up.
WHAT: Japan Dolphins Day, London. Click here for full event information.
WHEN: September 1st, 12:00 noon – 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Cavendish Square Gardens. The march to the Japanese Embassy will begin at 1:00 p.m. Nearest tube is Oxford Circus.
WHY: Each year from September until March, hundreds of dolphins are deliberately hunted and killed by Taiji fishermen. Some are slaughtered for their meat while others are caught for a life of captivity, shipped to marine parks and aquariums across the world. Their methods are internally condemned as being brutally cruel. This is a shame on the Japanese government and we encourage everyone to SHOW UP and SPEAK OUT against the massacre of dolphins in Taiji.
Japan Dolphins Day LondonCan’t attend the demo but want to help?
Attend or host a Japan Dolphins Day event in your area.
Learn more about our Cove Monitor Program
