Aug 2011 // Earl Douglas
Taiji is a small Japanese whaling village with a population just under 4,000. On the surface, it's one of the most serene places on earth. Deep blue skies, calm, soothing waters, and one of the prime locations anywhere to catch a spectacular sunset, make this a spot to take in the sights. There are also several monuments, shrines, and artwork dedicated to whales and dolphins. Off in the distance, you can even see dolphins crashing into and playing with the waves.
Taiji is also the site of one of the greatest animal abuses on record.
Each year from September through March, the local fishermen take part in an aggressive campaign to capture dolphins. Once captured, dolphins are then sold to aquariums and seaquariums all over the world. According to Savethedolphin.org, once dolphins are in captivity, they are deprived food until they perform the tricks and stunts that you see at most marine parks. Dolphins thrive on open air and space, but while in captivity, they are held in small tanks that contain simulated seawater. The tank also restricts their highly developed sonar, which is a form of torture. Savejapandolphins.org claims that “it is much like forcing a person to live in a hall of mirrors for the rest of their life — their image always bouncing back with no clear direction in sight.” Also, the noise from the marine park environment stresses them out to the point where they develop ulcers. So even though the dolphins are smiling and appear to be jovial, it's also what activist Ric O'Barry calls “Nature's greatest deception.”
And these are the lucky ones.
The dolphins that aren't selected are herded into a hidden, heavily secured cove. Local fisherman kill the mammals using spears and knives over the side of small fishing boats. In a matter of minutes, this beautiful, yet isolated area becomes crimson red and the last squeals and cries of the dying dolphins go unheard. The dolphin meat is then repackaged and sold as whale meat.
For a time, this meat was given to the Taijiri children as part of their school lunch program, as well as to pregnant women, despite the fact that this food was laced with mercury levels 5,000 percent higher than the recommended level. Mercury poisoning is a slow, painful process that includes loss of memory, hearing, eyesight, and eventually death.
Fortunately, there's been some blowback. The Academy Award-winning documentary The Cove told the story of how dolphin advocate Ric O'Barry led a crack team of filmmakers, divers, and photographers into Taiji to expose the practices that went on at the isolated area. The Cove also highlighted the high levels of corruption and cover-ups within the Japanese government and the whaling industry.
Yet since September 1 and through March 2011, the slaughter at the Cove will continue. What can you do to stop it?
For starters, don't go to any facilities that feature dolphin shows or swim-with-dolphin programs. Your attendance subsidizes a multibillion-dollar industry that thrives on the torture and killing of one of the planet's most intelligent creatures.
Sign the Facebook petition and share it with all of your friends (Look for “The Cove” on Facebook). You can also text DOLPHIN to 44144 and sign the letter straight from your phone. Alternatively, you can also send a letter, e-mail, or make a call to President Obama urging him to use all of the country’s considerable political, economic, and diplomatic resources to end the killing of whales and dolphins for commercial purposes now.
Spread the word. Despite the global success of The Cove, most people are still unaware that this is happening and the ramifications it can have on our environment and on our health. Go to Takepart.com/thecove or Savejapandolphins.org to find out more information.
Fact Sheet:
Taiji is the largest supplier of dolphins to marine parks, aquariums and seaquariums. One dolphin can go for as high as $154,000.
Nearly 23,000 dolphins are killed every year in Japan using this type of practice.
Japan is the leading fishing nation in the world. The Tsukiji Market, located in Toyko, is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. The amount of product handled annually is valued at nearly $5.5 billion.
The recommended maximum level of mercury in seafood in Japan is 0.4ppm (parts per million). The level of mercury found in dolphin meat is 2000ppm.
Currently there is no government or supermarket-issued warnings in Japan that dolphin meat is mercury-contaminated.
Japan has recruited Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Kiribati, Laos, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands also to voice their support to end the International Whaling Commissions’ ban on commercial whaling.
According to a 2006 report made by the journal Science, there could be a total collapse of the world's fish stocks within 40 years if we continue at the current rate of fishing.
Seven out of 10 people worldwide rely on seafood as their principle source of protein. Health officials fear that if the fish stock collapses, we could be looking at one of the biggest public health crises the world has ever seen.
Flipper — an adaptation of a 1963 film starring Chuck Connors — premiered on NBC in 1964 and ran for three seasons. The show's success played a key role in the spike of marine parks and aquariums worldwide.
Ric O'Barry captured and trained the five dolphins that appeared on the hit NBC series Flipper. After noting their high intelligence level and emotional capabilities, O'Barry made it his life mission to denounce the very industry he played a part in creating.
Dolphins are often regarded as one of the most intelligent — if not the most intelligent — creatures in the animal kingdom. They have acute eyesight (in and out of the water), acute hearing (they can hear frequencies 10 times or more above the average human adult human hearing), and display a strong sense of culture, something that was originally thought to be unique to humans.
YouTube link to The Cove trailer for Zinio version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KRD8e20fBo