Stop the Senseless Slaughter of Dolphins in Taiji, Japan!

 

It is a bloodbath, cruel and barbaric. Each year, the idyllic and peaceful setting
of the village of Taiji in southern Japan is shattered by almost unspeakable
cruelty as incredible pain and ultimate death is inflicted on defenseless dolphins.

- Paul Watson, president and founder
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

The annual slaughter of dolphins at Taiji was virtually unknown until the film and photographs that Sea Shepherd released in October 2003 made headlines around the world. This was followed by the arrest of Sea Shepherd activists Allison Lance and Alex Cornelissen for cutting the nets and releasing 15 dolphins. They were held in jail for four weeks before being released. Subsequently, the fishermen erected barricades to hide their bloody slaughter from cameras.

One of the members of that 2003 Sea Shepherd crew was Ric O’Barry. He returned in 2004 and every year after, to do what he could to oppose the killing. Louis Psihoyos partnered up with Ric O’Barry to find a way around the barricades and the result was the making of The Cove, the academy award-winning film that has embarrassed Japanese society before international audiences. Sea Shepherd is honored to be featured in the movie. We are pleased that it has been widely watched and brought the world's attention to this issue.

In 2007, we returned with surfing legend Dave Rastovich and actresses Hayden Pantierre and Isobel Lucas to confront the dolphin killers and once again we were able to shine the international media spotlight on the horrors at Taiji.

It has been a long, hard fight, and thanks to Ric O’Barry, Dave Rastovich, Allison Lance, Alex Cornelissen, Louis Psihoyos, and so many others, we are making steady progress towards our goal of ending the slaughter of dolphins in Japan. We will continue with campaigns to pressure Japan to end this cruel and destructive slaughter of dolphins. Because our opposition is proud and stubborn it may take years and persistence, but determination will win the day eventually for the dolphins at Taiji. Starting in September 2010, we have positioned a crew there at the Cove to monitor and report on the situation. Read the reports and support our efforts!

• Sea Shepherd in Taiji
• Cove Guardian Reports
• The Ruthless Killing

• The Toxic Bureaucracy
• What You Can Do
• Worldwide Protest

Species At Risk

The Japanese fishermen are indiscriminate. They kill any species that approaches the coast. Sea Shepherd crew have witnessed the killing of:

• Striped dolphins
• Bottlenose dolphins
• Pilot whales*

• False killer whales
• Melon-headed whales

This is not a complete list. They kill any species that approaches the coast including those listed above and Risso dolphins.

*Killing pilot whales violates Japan's treaty obligations to
the International Whaling Commission.

My other passion

Back in 1995 a show appeared on TV, The New Adventures of Flipper.  When i saw this show on TV i fell in love with dolphins and all other sea life.  I wanted to become a marine biologist and spend my life working for the sea and it’s life, but God had other plans. 

I still have a love for the sea and i get hooked on shows and movies like The Cove, Whale Wars, and the coming soon Blood Dolphins.  It hurts to watch these shows because every time i see one of animals killed… well it sucks.    

After seeing the Cove i wanted to hunt me some  people. if you have never seen this movie you need to watch it and be just as mad as i am.  see the thing i don’t get is that if you kill a dog you can be thrown in jail, but if you kill a dolphins… you can make money.  the question i have is “how can people be so mean?” 

Now please don’t think i am some kind of tree hugger or anything like that. i eat meat and i am a hunter but i don’t kill for fun i kill to survive.  My family never had a lot of money growing up and deer season was a gift from God. we never killed more then we needed and we never shot unless we knew we had the kill.   I still eat meat, not as much as i use too but i still do. i will never be upset for a person killing for food but when it come to a unless kill that upset me. 

 

Whales, dolphins, sharks and every other living thing in the oceans need to be left alone.  what will happen when all the whales are gone from the ocean, haven’t  you all seen Star Trek 4.