The Dolphin Project's Cove Monitors are on the ground Taiji, Japan for the 15th straight day without any killings or capturing of any Dolphins....Tune in Live to watch for the potential slaughtering of Dolphins by the Taiji, Japanese people in the Dolphin Outlook

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Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project broadcasts LIVE from the field, around the globe every day during the hunting seasons:
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In Defense of Animals
Why Dolphin "Happiness" Study is a Sham. A scientific study attempting to measure the "happiness" of imprisoned dolphins was recently released with findings that will sadden anyone who knows or cares about dolphins. READ MORE

Japan Is Holding Wild Dolphins Hostage and Exploiting Them for Profit in Lead-Up to the 2020 Olympics

What could possibly be even remotely appealing about torturing innocent dolphins? We’ve asked ourselves this question time after time as the barbaric practices of hunting and capturing dolphins have continued to run rampant, particularly in Taiji, Japan. Unfortunately, details of yet another instance of horrific dolphin abuse and exploitation in the nation recently emerged, prompting us to continue wondering why in the world people think this is okay.

In this latest case of senseless dolphin cruelty, Japan held a “pre-Olympics test event” in which live dolphins were forced to perform tricks for a crowd. And as if confining dolphins in inappropriately small cages and making them entertain humans for endless hours wasn’t bad enough, the way in which these dolphins were brought into captivity makes the situation even more upsetting.

During the nation’s infamously inhumane annual “tradition” known as the Taiji dolphin hunt, these poor creatures were chased into a cove by hunters so that they couldn’t escape capture. While thousands of their fellow dolphins were brutally slaughtered during the hunt, these special few were chosen for their “show quality” and imprisoned in concrete tanks, a fate which may arguably be even worse than death.

Despite worldwide public outrage against these unfathomably cruel practices, they are sadly still alive and well in modern-day Japan. In the words of David Phillips, executive director of the International Marine Mammal Project headed by Earth Island Institute, the recent pre-Olympic event “is a crucial reminder of how the Japanese government and the Japanese Olympic Committee are exploiting dolphins and whales, in defiance of the rest of the world.”

He went on, “These dolphins are kept hungry in order to do the tricks. They are kept in inhumane confinement in small, highly chlorinated concrete tanks. And, worse, they were captured in the most inhumane way possible, torn from the wild and their families, which are slaughtered without mercy.”

Rightfully disgusted by the fact that blatant abuse of these intelligent cetaceans is still occurring in Japan, the International Marine Mammal Project is urging the nation’s government to put a stop to the slaughtering of dolphins and whales. Further, the organization is calling on Japan to establish and enforce a ban on the sale of dolphin and whale meat, plus pledge to end the exploitation of these animals for human enjoyment — not just ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but for good.

If you agree that what Japan is allowing is absolutely inexcusable, please use your voice to help condemn the hunting and capture of dolphins by signing this Change.org petition and this petition organized by the International Marine Mammal Project.

In addition, be sure to share what you’ve learned here with everyone in your network. The more people there are standing up against dolphin and whale killing and exploitation, the more likely the Japanese government is to pay attention and take action to save these majestic cetaceans from horrific fates! ()

Vicki Kiely, along with special guest Mike Mitchell will play a very special live performance in your home at Stage It and on Sunset TV with all proceeds going to The Dolphin Project.
Show Description:
I will perform songs from my latest EP 'I' with my cowriter and producer Mike Mitchell.

My name is Vicki and I’m a cove monitor for Ric O’Barry's Dolphin Project. In the Japanese town of Taiji, thousands of dolphins are hunted, slaughtered, or taken prisoner for a life sentence in captivity EVERY year. These dolphins that are stolen are often starved and forced to perform circus tricks for human entertainment; they are trained and shipped off in coffin-like containers to all corners of the globe.

The dolphins are driven into the Cove by banger boats, once netted in, they are then slaughtered or removed from the ocean for the captivity process. The dolphin meat is sold in restaurants and supermarkets.

My nine-year-old daughter, Imogen, is a student at United World College-Thailand and has been with me to Japan four times to act as a mini monitor and to stand as a child ambassador to oppose the hunting of dolphins. Aidan Darr, a 12-year-old who is also a student at UWC, watched "The Cove" movie and made a fantastic animated short film for his grade 5 exhibition last year. He will join us as Dolphin Project's newest mini-Cove Monitor in Taiji this coming October.

The purpose of the Cove Monitor is huge. We serve as an observer and report on what we see daily, sometimes hourly in order to have a record and be a witness for the rest of the world. To learn more, visit: https://dolphinproject.com/blog/on-the-frontlines-the-dolphin-project-cove-monitors/

We are asking for your support in our bid to raise the funds to get us to Taiji and put in five days of monitoring. In total, we need 100,000 thai baht and with your help, I’m confident we can do it. Any money left over will be directly donated straight into the Dolphin Project Cove Monitor Funds account.
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Ric O'Barry is seen in September checking the status of Angel, a dolphin at the Taiji Whale Museum in Taiji, Japan. Japanese authorities have deported the star of the Oscar-winning doc The Cove.(DolphinProject.com/Associated Press)

Our post about the practice that raised attention with Caroline Kennedy
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