Taiji Dolphin Slaughter Begins Again

When we first watched the Documentary called Blackfish, it broke our hearts. Blackfish is all about the Orcas who are kept in captivity at Seaworld. Watching how these amazing social, loving animals are being treated for the entertainment of mindless crowds was appalling. Soon after watching this and talking to people about it, we were led on to watch another documentary about the Taiji Dolphin slaughter called The Cove. When we learned what was happening to the dolphins in Taiji, Japan, we just couldn’t believe it.
Taiji Dolphin Slaughter Begins Again
Each year, between the 1stSeptember and the 1stMarch, hundreds of dolphins are funnelled into a well-guarded bay in Japan in a town called, Taiji. Waiting for them in the bay are small boats full of men armed with knives and spears. The dolphins are funnelled in and become trapped in the bay before a net is drawn across the entrance preventing their escape.
When trapped inside, some of the dolphins are selected to be shipped to sea world style entertainment parks around the world. The rest are mercilessly slaughtered in a cruel and barbaric practice that has been carried out at the cove for generations. The documentary showed the sea turning red with the blood of the dolphins as the men savagely hacked and stabbed away at them. They have since changed the way they kill the dolphins, and every attempt is made to prevent groups like the www.dolphinproject.com from filming what happens.
Dolphins are shipped all over the world to live out their days in misery performing for people in tiny tanks or sea pens. These can be at dolphin shows, small motels, or holiday destinations where tourists can swim with dolphins. Russia, Egypt, Thailand, China, Turkey, and many other countries import the dolphins from Taiji. In the US, Seaworld, the Navy, and other research institutes have only recently stopped importing them due to a legal ruling.

Events like this happen all over the world to all different animals from bulls to goats, to these poor dolphins. The www.dolphinproject.com suggests ways that we can help try to stop this, and they have teams of volunteers who monitor the bay and keep the pressure on the media on the people doing this terrible acts. Also look at www.seashepherd.com
Eating the dolphins is also a public health issue, with the dolphin meat containing many chemicals including high levels of mercury that are well above the permissible levels laid down by the World Health Organisation and the Japanese Health, Labour, and Welfare Ministry. This issue is ignored, and the barbaric practice and sale and consumption of the dead animals are allowed to continue.
The Taiji dolphin slaughter is yet another reminder of the sickness of humanity and the depths of depravity we will go to for tradition and taste. But it also reminds us that people are willing to stand up, speak out, and fight for these animals against all the odds.
Thank you for reading
Lee
