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Joyous in freedom.© Matty Symons/istock |
On September, 3, 2008, individuals worldwide will unite for the fourth annual Japan Dolphin Day to speak out against the
cruel drive fisheries of Japan, which slaughter hundreds of dolphins in every hunt. As we have since its founding in 2005, Humane Society International will once again be promoting and participating in this important event.
Death and Suffering
The dolphin slaughtering season in Taiji, a small coastal town of Japan, often lasts from September to March. During this time, pods of dolphins are herded into a shallow cove by fishermen in small boats and then are brutally killed with lances and knives. A few will be kept alive to be sold into the captive dolphin industry, including swim-with-the-dolphins programs, where they may suffer for years.
Some of the dolphins who are killed are used for their meat which, recent studies have shown, has high levels of mercury and is not suitable for consumption by children or pregnant women. Unfortunately, dolphin meat continues to be sold in Japan despite the risks and without any warning from the government.
Motivation for the Hunt
The Taiji dolphin hunts continue to prosper because the fishermen receive immense profits from selling some of their victims to the captive dolphin industry. The government also gives the fishermen permission to continue the hunt because they consider the dolphins pests who eat too much of the fish stocks around Taiji.
Secret Slaughter No Longer
Now, a new documentary is in the works which will hopefully alert a greater portion of the public to what is going on in Taiji. Entitled "The Rising," it was filmed secretly by members of the United States conservation group Ocean Preservation Society (OPS) with help from the Save Japan Dolphins coalition. The footage displays the horrible cruelty dolphins are forced to endure in Taiji’s drive fisheries. The film is scheduled for release in early 2009.
Speaking Out for Animals
In the meantime, dolphin advocates hope to draw attention to drive fisheries on September 3. Individuals and groups including Humane Society International will gather to protest at Japanese embassies and consulate offices across the globe. The majority of people in Japan have no idea that their country is allowing the slaughter of so many dolphins, and most people around the world are also not aware. The blood-stained sea and panicked screams of the dolphins will not go unremarked as activists worldwide make sure that their cries are heard for the dolphins.
