If a dolphin like this one becomes trapped in the killing cove, his fate is uncertain. He, along with countless others, including pilot whales, are at risk of suffering the cruellest of deaths, being slaughtered in what can only be described as a bloodbath. Please help urge officials to show the world they do not sanction cruelty, by ending this brutality.
By now you've probably either seen or heard of the Academy Award winning, celebrity endorsed documentary 'The Cove', that has exposed horrific animal abuse long hidden from the world. The dolphin and whale slaughter in Taiji has just begun again.
In a small fishing village in Japan, dolphins and pilot whales are being herded into the quiet cove. Fishermen hold large poles underwater and bang them with hammers to create an echoing wall of sound that disorientates the animals and causes them to swim toward the shore. Here, mothers and babies are separated by ropes, some dolphins are tied to boats, some become injured or break their pectoral fins in the watery panic, some die from stress or exhaustion.
The bewildered animals are kept enclosed by nets overnight, and as the sun rises on the cove, the sea turns red as 'drive fishermen' pierce the dolphins and whales with long spears. Some fishermen use hooks to haul live dolphins into the boats where their throats are slashed. The dolphins' shrieks fill the air …
Why would anyone want to kill a gentle, playful dolphin? Some say the dolphins and whales are killed for their meat. Others say the 'hunt' is a form of 'pest control', incredibly they insist the dolphins are competing with people for fish!
The killings have also been directly linked to the lucrative trade in dolphins for the marine park industry. The film makers reported seeing dolphin trainers assisting fishermen in herding the dolphins in order to choose those deemed suitable for a life in an aquarium, then turning a blind eye while the others are butchered.
Whatever the reason, there is simply no excuse for such barbaric cruelty.
Please let the Japanese Ambassador to Australia know that you will not be visiting a country that has such blatant disregard for life. The beauty and culture of Japan is strengthened by its amazing wildlife and this should be promoted not destroyed.
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