This Week's Dolphin Outlook

Recap of the day from hell for this huge bottlenose pod! Appears after events today that half of the pod has been viewed for selection. This means that approximately 90 dolphins could be viewed and evaluated for a lifetime of captivity tomorrow. About 45 were not acceptable and have been separated from the larger group in the cove. 30 were taken in 15 skiffs, over the course of over 7 hours.

Brutality of selection couldn't be more evident while watching the dolphins be handled, pushed, grabbed, dragged, pushed, held-onto while the dolphins were trying to escape, and finally run-over several times by the skiffs.

Each dolphin was inspected, taken under tarps to be fully checked, and some were rejected for whatever reason. Sometimes they left the babies with the mother and didn't take either - and other times they took the juveniles without any parent. We noticed some of the dolphins had white patched just behind their dorsal fin - could be genetic aberration - and these were not chosen.

Tomorrow we will most likely see more selection - more bottlenose dolphins subjected to confines of a small pen for the rest of their lives... Another day in hell for this pod! Over two years ago a similar large pod was driven into the cove and for hours the same process - to see this once again is devastating.

Please, understand this brutality is what you pay for when you visit a dolphinarium or marine park with dolphins... DO NOT BUY A TICKET and send a message to these "entertainment" places that THIS is not ok!
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Image may contain: water and outdoor

Image may contain: water and outdoor

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Yesterday was inauguration day here in D.C. and of all the thoughts running through my head I want to share this one with you.

More than 1,000 sick dolphins in the Northern Gulf of Mexico died in the five years following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill catastrophe, many from lesions linked to oil exposure. Following Deepwater Horizon, scientists observed unusually high numbers of stranded stillborn juvenile dolphins in the spill zone likely caused by chronic illnesses in mothers who were exposed to oil.   

We must protect our oceans and dolphins from future harm, and with an oil-friendly administration taking office Oceana needs your help. We’re trying to raise $20,000 by the end of President Trump’s first week in office to support our work to protect our oceans.

The Trump Administration has officially begun – Will you donate to our Tide Pool Match and inspire a new wave of ocean supporters to step up for our oceans when we need it most?
Protect our oceans. Donate.
The Tide Pool is a crucial tool Oceana uses to attract new supporters to the cause of ocean conservation. Every dollar you give will protect our oceans and match future Wavemaker contributions, inspiring others to follow your example.

Together, we kept dirty offshore drilling from expanding into new areas of the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, reducing the threat of deadly oil spills and mass marine mammal deaths.

Now your hard-earned work to protect dolphins and our oceans is on the line.

You are who we need by our side these next four years, Don — can we count on you?

Help reach our $20,000 goal by the end of President Trump’s first week to show him that we’re not about to give up on our oceans – Your gift will have double the impact by inspiring like-minded ocean lovers to step up as you have.

We will continue to empower YOU to protect and restore the world’s oceans, regardless of who’s in office.

Photos From Infamous Taiji Whale Museum Show the Depths of Abuse Wrought on Captive Dolphins.
If there is one thing we regret about 2016, it’s that the Taiji Whale Museum is still up and running. No dolphin should be forced to live in captivity. They are incredibly intelligent creatures and in the wild, they live with around 250 other dolphins – so keeping a dolphin isolated and confined is like putting a person in solitary confinement . . . for their entire life.  The lack of stimulation prolonged isolation of captivity often drives dolphins and other cetaceans insane and causes them to do harm to themselves and their captors.


Groundbreaking films like Blackfish are highlighting this problem, and organizations like Sea Shepherd and Whale and Dolphin Conservation are working tirelessly to end the system of abuse and captivity that enslaves these incredible creatures. And there have been some big victories of late, most notably SeaWorld San Diego put an end to its  orca shows.

However, The Taiji Whale Museum is still operating. The facility as become famous (and notorious) for its incredible capacity for cruelty and violence against cetaceans.  Every year dolphin hunters herd a staggering numbers to the “cove” in Taiji, Japan. These poor creatures are then subjected to either a brutal death, for the sale of their meat, or ripped away from their family and friends and sold to various aquariums around the world. The nightmare does not stop once the dolphins are in the tanks. The horror story of Angel, the captured albino dolphin, showed us just how terrible the conditions for dolphins in the Taiji Whale Museum. But in case we forgot, Sea Sheperd went to document the lives of the dolphins in the facility.
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The first thing the crew saw upon entering the museum, “was the splashes of violence between a frustrated White-sided dolphin and a Bottlenose.” The different species are forced into the same tank even though they do not associate with one another in the wild.  
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The tanks in Taiji are 20 x 15 feet, and cetaceans are denied stimulation.
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This drives dolphins insane, so the facility medicates them so that they appear docile in front of their patrons. 
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In a Facebook post, Sea Shepherd laments,  “Scarred, sunburnt and infected, the negligence of these victims is clearly shown in these images, but is only a physical visualization of the torment they experience.”
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 In this photo, you can see the rake marks on this dolphins head.
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No living creature should be forced to endure such cruelty. 
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There are ways that you can help to shut down Taiji Whale Museum and put and end to the cruel annual hunts. There are many petitions floating around the Internet and with just a few click you can help to make your voice heard. You can also help by boycotting aquariums that force cetaceans to live in captivity. Many facilities around the world stock dolphins captured in the Taiji drives for show, so it’s best to avoid any aquarium, marine park, or any other place that holds marine animals captive. Finally, share this post and encourages others to as well to raise awareness for this issue. Image source: Sea Shepherd/Facebook
In Defense of Animals

Nets Cut at Dolphin Base Center in Taiji. Dolphin Base, a recreational facility in Taiji, Japan where visitors can swim and interact with dolphins, reported to police that the net separating their facility pools with the ocean had been cut sometime on the 4th of January. The park stated that a one meter vertical slash was found in one of its containment nets. The escaped four-dolphin pod was seen swimming in the area outside of their pen. They are believed to be between 3-5 years old and had been held at this facility for more than six months. READ MORE

One year ago today, Ric O’Barry stepped off a plane in Tokyo and was placed in an interrogation cell, where he was held for 19 days. He was on his way to Taiji, Japan to bring international awareness to the dolphin slaughters taking place here but thanks to bogus charges, never made it to his destination. Ric was ultimately deported back to the United States but has vowed to return to Japan and continue his fight. We have retained some of the best legal council in Japan. Proceedings are ongoing and a decision is anticipated this summer. Click here to donate towards Ric’s legal defense.

While Ric’s absence is missed, Dolphin Project Cove Monitors are on the ground at The Cove and will be there for the duration of the hunting season. Despite Japan's efforts to cover the atrocities committed in this town, we will ensure they are live streamed, documented, and blasted out to the world. Please be sure to follow us on our social media for the latest updates.

2017 is shaping up to be a busy year, with initiatives planned across the world. Together, let’s help protect dolphins.

#WeAreAllRicOBarry
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