Japan's annual dolphin massacre
For six months of each year, in the small coastal town of Taiji, a mass killing of dolphins takes place. Taiji fishermen conduct their secret, government-sanctioned hunt in order to eradicate whole schools of dolphins, considered "pests" because of their fish consumption. Contrary to popular belief, this hunt has hardly anything to do with tradition or Japanese food culture, as dolphin meat is not considered a delicacy in Japan.
During what is known as the dolphin drive hunt, the fishermen scare the dolphins by banging metal poles, producing an underwater wall of sound that causes the dolphins to panic, enabling the hunters to herd them into a killing cove. Once in the cove, the dolphins are trapped by nets, and savagely killed by the fishermen with spears and knives. During the massacre, the dolphins die slowly, trashing about in their own blood and filling the air with their high-pitched screams. Those who have witnessed the slaughter say the images of the dying dolphins never go away.
The key to the success of the continuation of the hunt is the shroud of secrecy. The killing takes place before daybreak, behind barbed wires in heavily guarded locations. Most Japanese people have no idea this annual blood bath is happening, as the government and the fishermen take great care of keeping it secret from them.
Some of the dolphin meat is processed to be sold in supermarkets and served as school lunches, although scientific tests have shown it to contain high levels of toxic chemicals such as mercury and PCBs. For even higher profit, dolphins with "show quality" are not slaughtered but sold to dolphinariums and "Swim with Dolphins" programs around the world. It is especially these captive dolphin shows that make the hunt so massively lucrative for the Japanese fishing industry; therefore it is of the utmost importance for the public all over the world to boycott such "entertainment".
Animals Count urges the British government to pressure their Japanese colleagues to stop issuing permits for the slaughter of these beautiful, intelligent creatures. Please sign the petition on Save Japan's Dolphins to help collect 1 million signatures to stop the massacre.
12 November 2009 