THE ANNUAL DOLPHIN MASSACRE IN JAPAN. The fishermen in Japanese villages like Taiji, go out in small boats to known dolphin migratory routes. Positioning their boats strategically, they space out to form a line and wait for the dolphins. When the dolphins arrive, the fishermen drop long metal pipes into the water, and by banging on the pipes they create a wall of sound. The sound interferes with the dolphins' ability to navigate - it disorients and panics them. The dolphins swim away from the sound, and the fisherman manoeuvre their boats herding them into a small shallow bay. Once in the bay, nets are drawn across the mouth of the bay to keep them penned in. 
The fishermen usually injure a few of the captive dolphins with a spear thrust or a knife slash - dolphins will not abandon these wounded family members. Trapped in the shallow water, the dolphins mill about trying to stay as far from land as possible until the next morning. In the morning, the fishermen draw the nets in, forcing the dolphins closer to shore where they kill them by stabbing and slashing them with knives and hooks. The dolphins thrash about for as long as six minutes each as they slowly bleed to death, turning the sea literally red with their blood. After the massacre, the bodies of the dolphins are taken to a slaughter house to be butchered. The meat is severely contaminated but is sold without warnings in supermarkets in Japan - supermarkets often owned by US and European chains. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been opposing the Japanese dolphin slaughter since 1981 when Captain Paul Watson successfully negotiated a decade long cessation to the dolphin kills at Iki Island.
In 2003, crewmembers of Sea Shepherd's Taiji Dolphin Campaign filmed and photographed the slaughter in Taiji bay. The world - including many Japanese citizens - saw for the first time, the horrendous brutality of this slaughter of beautiful creatures. These horrible images shocked, stunned and enraged many into action. Sea Shepherd crewmembers dove into the water and cut the holding nets to free 15 of the dolphins awaiting slaughter. These crewmembers spent 23 days in jail and were charged with "forceful interference with Japanese commerce." Links: The Connection Between the Butchers of Taiji and the Dolphin Captivity Industry: http://www.seashepherd.org/taiji/taiji_dolphin_captivity.html Sea Shepherd Crewmembers Risk Their Lives for Taiji Dolphins: http://www.seashepherd.org/taiji/taiji_sscs_in_taiji.html The Japanese Government is Poisoning its Own Citizens: http://www.seashepherd.org/taiji/taiji_toxic_bureaucracy.html Video Clips: http://www.seashepherd.org/taiji/taiji_video.html What You Can Do to Help
Stop the Slaughter TAKE ACTION! There are many things you can do to help save the whales and dolphins of Japan. Please join us in our continuing efforts to end this slaughter. REWARD: Sea Shepherd has an offer of $10,000 to the person who can obtain the most graphic photographic evidence of the slaughter, including still photographs and video footage. Click here for details of the reward.
PETITION: Sea Shepherd is organizing an International Petition demanding that the Japanese government stop this slaughter. The Petition will be delivered to the Japanese Prime Minister and the Japanese Minister of Fisheries, as well as embassies and consulates around the world. Click here to go to the International Petition. WRITE: Send a letter, e-mail or fax to the Prime Minister of Japan, the Minister of Fisheries, your local embassy or consulate and other Japanese officials to let them know that this barbaric slaughter is unacceptable. For addresses and a sample letter click here |
