With the dolphin slaughter in Taiji resuming after the holiday break, and ushering in a bloody 2012, I thought I would share this incredibly moving video lament.
It must be so hard to watch and bear witness to what happens in that Cove, and it is thanks only to the courage and persistence of Save Japan Dolphins and the other witnesses who spend day after day at the Cove that the rest of the world is not allowed to simply turn away and go back to playing XBox.
Here, for example, is SJD’s Heather Hill on what she saw today:
The boats slowly drove the dolphins towards the Cove, and divers lined the rocks, ready to intervene if and when the panic-prone dolphins entangled themselves in the nets or threw their bodies against the rocks in an attempt to flee. Because the pod was so large, the fishermen were unable to push them all into the killing Cove (out of the range of our eyes and cameras) at once, and for a while there were dolphins cordoned off in three different sections of the Cove. One lone dolphin swam between the outer nets while its family members were being slaughtered; watching, listening, and waiting. After those dolphins already under the tarps were either killed or otherwise restrained, the fishermen opened the inside nets so they could drive the remaining individuals to their death.
One ironic note: Check out the ad on the right that Google’s algorithm selected for me as I watched dolphins being stabbed and killed. I think the algorithm needs some tweaking
Dolphin Discovery is all over the Caribbean and uses wild-caught dolphins to stock their pools. When anyone buys a ticket to a dolphin show they are helping create the demand that sustains the slaughter in Taiji. Please think about that next time your child or a friend suggests going to a dolphin show.
And then do the one thing that can help end this barbarism: say “No.”
The Earthist Chronicles 
How does “wild caught” equal Taiji? Dolphin Discovery uses animals captured from Cuba & Mexico.
They did house ONE individual named Makaiko who was from Taiji but Dolphin Discovery was not an original owner/importer of the dolphin. Makaiko (and three other dolphins) were originally housed at Aleta Bay.
Captive Dolphin Rescue – Good News from Mexico
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/world-altnews-net/message/1532
Demand for wild caught dolphins anywhere helps drive up prices everywhere. It’s just like oil or any other global commodity: if you buy Mexican oil that affects the price of Saudi oil. Plus, the profit-making success of all the dolphin parks in the Caribbean and elsewhere creates demand for new parks in Asia and especially China. That also helps create demand that will translate into a profit incentive for Taiji fishermen.
Don’t get me wrong, I agree that the whole sale slaughter of small cetaceans in Japan should be ended but do you think that energy & resources could be more effective by targeting or boycotting parks that are directly involved in the slaughter (by the purchase of drive hunt animals).
Do you know of any data or price lists for captive dolphins in Taiji throughout the years, how have the prices fluctuated relative to captures in Cuba & the Solomons?