Help Stop the Largest and Cruelest Slaughter of Dolphins in the World!
In Taiji, Japanese fishermen are rounding up and slaughtering hundreds and even thousands of dolphins right now.
In the Japanese fishing village of Taiji, fishermen will be rounding up and slaughtering hundreds and even thousands of dolphins from the start of October, and this goes on for six months.
After driving large pods of dolphins into shallow coves, (see image right) the fishermen kill the dolphins,by slashing their throats with knives or stabbing them with spears. After thrashing about, the dolphins take as long as six minutes or more to die. The water turns red with their blood and the air fills with their screams. Do the fishermen care? NO is the answer.
This brutal massacre - the largest scale dolphin kill in the world - goes on for six months of every year. Even more shocking, the captive dolphin industry is an accomplice to the kill, by selecting two or three dolphins for parks around the world.
Japanese fishermen kill the largest number of dolphins anywhere in the world and dolphins and porpoises face grave danger by swimming into Japan's coastal waters when the annual killing begins.
Taiji fishermen used to carry out the massacres in a large lagoon by a public road, but the mounting exposure has forced them into one last hiding place, a small cove hidden between two mountains. The cove is part of a public park and tourists from all over Japan come here to walk the picturesque trails along one of the most spectacular coastlines in the world.
During the fishery season, which lasts six months out of every year, the fishermen take the area into their possession, employing exceptionally hostile tactics to keep westerners and Japanese tourists away from the cove while dolphins are being killed. In doing so they have created a threatening and sinister atmosphere in and around this beautiful and friendly village.
After the massacre is over the water remains red with blood for many hours (see the image to the right) and the ludicrous warning signs telling people of non-existent dangers such as "Falling rocks" and "Mud-slides" are not removed until after the ocean has washed all the blood away and all other evidence disposed of.
The cover-up is undermining one of the fishermen's principal justifications for killing dolphins:
That it's a tradition
A tradition they are proud of, If they are truly proud of killing dolphins, then why are they so frantic about hiding it? from everyones view.
The fact that they hide the bloodbath behind blue tarpaulins, chains, barbed wire and walls of fabric reveals that they are well aware that the dolphin massacres, once fully exposed, will be viewed as deplorable by the rest of the world, including the Japanese people.
Revealing the Truth to the World:
The only way to stop the dolphin slaughter is to keep monitoring, advocating, filming, and bringing attention to it.
One of the main reasons that the killing continues is that very few people, in Japan and around the world, even know it is happening.
The fishermen don't want the public to know about their dirty, secret, so they spend a lot of time hiding their activities. They know that if Japan and the world learn the truth about this barbaric practice, world opinion will immediately put an end to it.
The time to end it is NOW.!!!
Email the Prime Minister of Japan:
Express your outrage in your own words (or personalize those provided below).
Dear Mr. Koizumi,
I am outraged at the dolphin massacre happening at Taiji. The drive fishery must be stopped immediately. I strongly urge you to revoke all permits allowing the dolphin drives and slaughter to continue.
The dolphin meat is known to be highly contaminated with mercury and is a health hazard to your own people.
I strongly urge you to prohibit the sale of contaminated dolphin meat immediately, in Japan.
The slaughter is cruel and unnecessary and is harmful to Japan's reputation in the world community.
Yours Sincerely,
Or write a letter and send it to:
Mr. Junichiro Koizumi,
Prime Minister of Japan
1-6-1 Nagatacho,
Chiyodaku,
Tokyo,
100-8914 Japan
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