If you haven't gotten an opportunity to see the documentary The Cove you really need to. Not only has it won an academy award, but it is an extremely powerful film.
For those of you who haven't seen it here is a quick synapses of the documentary. The main focus is the slaughter of dolphins in a cove in Taiji Japan. There, at this horrendous site is where dozens of dolphins are slaughtered daily from September to March. This hardcore, epic, totally awesome man has made it his mission to save these dolphins and get the word out about what is happening to these innocent dolphins in Japan. This awesome mans name is Ric O'Barry and I wish I had half the passion and courage that he does. Not only are these innocent animals being harmed, but these fisherman are harming the people of Japan. They are selling the dolphins to aquariums around the world, but for the dolphins that aren't chosen they are being slaughtered, cut up and fed to the people of Japan. This doesn't seem like a big deal because that's what every country does with any type of meat (but usually more humane) but it is! Dolphin meat is laced with mercury and by eating the meat sometimes unknowingly due to mislead labeling people are being poisoned.
The dolphins can be sold for $150,00 a piece and 23,00 dolphins are killed every year!!! That is flipping ridiculous!!
The cove where the dolphins are trapped and then sold or murdered is heavily guarded. The camera men were trying to film what was happening, but not only did the area have barbed wire and signs telling people to keep out they also had the fisherman and other people getting into people's faces with their own cameras and were blocking them and yelling really rude things. From their vantage point you couldn't see around the corner were the slaughter was actually happening instead you could just see the water go from a clear nice blue to blood red.
Because I thought Ric O'Barry was a really awesome brave guy here are few facts about him.
For those of you who haven't seen it here is a quick synapses of the documentary. The main focus is the slaughter of dolphins in a cove in Taiji Japan. There, at this horrendous site is where dozens of dolphins are slaughtered daily from September to March. This hardcore, epic, totally awesome man has made it his mission to save these dolphins and get the word out about what is happening to these innocent dolphins in Japan. This awesome mans name is Ric O'Barry and I wish I had half the passion and courage that he does. Not only are these innocent animals being harmed, but these fisherman are harming the people of Japan. They are selling the dolphins to aquariums around the world, but for the dolphins that aren't chosen they are being slaughtered, cut up and fed to the people of Japan. This doesn't seem like a big deal because that's what every country does with any type of meat (but usually more humane) but it is! Dolphin meat is laced with mercury and by eating the meat sometimes unknowingly due to mislead labeling people are being poisoned.
The cove where the dolphins are trapped and then sold or murdered is heavily guarded. The camera men were trying to film what was happening, but not only did the area have barbed wire and signs telling people to keep out they also had the fisherman and other people getting into people's faces with their own cameras and were blocking them and yelling really rude things. From their vantage point you couldn't see around the corner were the slaughter was actually happening instead you could just see the water go from a clear nice blue to blood red.
Because I thought Ric O'Barry was a really awesome brave guy here are few facts about him.
- He was the trainer for the dolphin in the TV show Flipper. After that he became and advocate for dolphins.
- In the 1970's he founded The Dolphin Project whose main goal is to educate the public about dolphin captivity and when feasible to help them be released into the wild.
- The government in Taiji know exactly who he is and make sure cops follow him when he enters the city.
- He has released 25 dolphins from captivity.
- He is the director of the Save Japan Dolphins Campaign.
- Co-author of 3 books
- He has been arrested numerous times for his efforts.
The people involved in this movie should become Navy Seals. They did an awesome successful covert operation. Their main goals were to get cameras behind part of the rock that is cutting off part of the cove where the slaughter takes place. They also wanted to get cameras with sonar under the water to hear the dolphins. They did this mission at night hoping they wouldn't get caught. They were successful in planting all the cameras. Those people were extremely brave! They risked their lives for this mission. They could have been put in jail or even killed based on how the fisherman were reacting to them. I could have never done that.
I also found it really cool that Hayden Panettiere was involved in this mission. She paddled out on her surf board along with her mother and other surfers to hold a peaceful ceremony around the dolphins. On their second attempt out there fisherman came over and tried to hit them with the propeller of the boat and then attempted to stab them with spears. While this was happening you could see a dolphin struggling for its life bleeding into the water. It was heartbreaking to watch and I cried. Hayden is an advocate for the dolphins and for other animals. Not only does she play a hero on TV she really is one.
So, what is going on currently in Taiji?
After the documentary was shown the fisherman of Taiji covered the cove with an elaborate tent structure made out of wires, cables and plastic tarps. It almost completely covered.
Just a few weeks ago scientists and veterinarians analyzed the tape and say that their "humane" way of killing the dolphins is anything but humane. How they are killing the dolphins now is still horrible! It's about to get graphic. You may want to get a barf bag or a tissue. What they are doing to the dolphins is dragging them under the tarp by their tails, shoved into position while they are struggling and then a sharp spike is stabbed into their neck behind the blowhole. Does that sound humane to you? Is that even remotely close to what happens in normal slaughterhouses? NO! It isn't!! And not only do they die their family members get to watch them be slaughtered. Image this happening to you? Dying that way. Having to watch your family members slowly die that way. It's horrendous.
After watching the video biologists and veterinarians determined that they way they slaughter these dolphins would not be tolerated or permitted in any regulated slaughterhouse. Even after this evidence the Japanese government still claims what they are doing is no different than what we do to the animals here in America and everywhere else around the world. Have they ever visited a slaughterhouse in other countries? Because if they have there is no way in hell they could make that comparison.
Current statistics show that the amount of dolphins killed this year increased. Last year 2011-2012 around 800-840 dolphins were killed. This year it was slightly below 900. So not a huge increase, but still it should be going down not up regardless of how much the increase was. 247 dolphins were captured for captivity, which was an all time high seeings that last year only 50 were caught for this purpose. The only bright side of this is that more Japanese activitsts have become involved in the fight to stop the slaughter at the cove.
Hopefully with continual showing of this film to people and getting the word out this horrible, disgusting, inhumane slaughter of these poor, innocent, intelligent creatures can end. Not only should we be trying to stop the slaughter, but we should be trying to stop the captivity and no longer go and see dolphin shows or go swim with dolphins. A smile may be worth a thousand words, but what is really going on behind that smile is so much sadder and worth so many more words.
Help save the dolphins and stop this! Go to takepart.com/thecover for more info and finding out what you can do to help. You can also follow this blog http://savejapandolphins.org/.
I also found it really cool that Hayden Panettiere was involved in this mission. She paddled out on her surf board along with her mother and other surfers to hold a peaceful ceremony around the dolphins. On their second attempt out there fisherman came over and tried to hit them with the propeller of the boat and then attempted to stab them with spears. While this was happening you could see a dolphin struggling for its life bleeding into the water. It was heartbreaking to watch and I cried. Hayden is an advocate for the dolphins and for other animals. Not only does she play a hero on TV she really is one.So, what is going on currently in Taiji?
After the documentary was shown the fisherman of Taiji covered the cove with an elaborate tent structure made out of wires, cables and plastic tarps. It almost completely covered.
Just a few weeks ago scientists and veterinarians analyzed the tape and say that their "humane" way of killing the dolphins is anything but humane. How they are killing the dolphins now is still horrible! It's about to get graphic. You may want to get a barf bag or a tissue. What they are doing to the dolphins is dragging them under the tarp by their tails, shoved into position while they are struggling and then a sharp spike is stabbed into their neck behind the blowhole. Does that sound humane to you? Is that even remotely close to what happens in normal slaughterhouses? NO! It isn't!! And not only do they die their family members get to watch them be slaughtered. Image this happening to you? Dying that way. Having to watch your family members slowly die that way. It's horrendous.
After watching the video biologists and veterinarians determined that they way they slaughter these dolphins would not be tolerated or permitted in any regulated slaughterhouse. Even after this evidence the Japanese government still claims what they are doing is no different than what we do to the animals here in America and everywhere else around the world. Have they ever visited a slaughterhouse in other countries? Because if they have there is no way in hell they could make that comparison.
Current statistics show that the amount of dolphins killed this year increased. Last year 2011-2012 around 800-840 dolphins were killed. This year it was slightly below 900. So not a huge increase, but still it should be going down not up regardless of how much the increase was. 247 dolphins were captured for captivity, which was an all time high seeings that last year only 50 were caught for this purpose. The only bright side of this is that more Japanese activitsts have become involved in the fight to stop the slaughter at the cove.
Hopefully with continual showing of this film to people and getting the word out this horrible, disgusting, inhumane slaughter of these poor, innocent, intelligent creatures can end. Not only should we be trying to stop the slaughter, but we should be trying to stop the captivity and no longer go and see dolphin shows or go swim with dolphins. A smile may be worth a thousand words, but what is really going on behind that smile is so much sadder and worth so many more words.
Help save the dolphins and stop this! Go to takepart.com/thecover for more info and finding out what you can do to help. You can also follow this blog http://savejapandolphins.org/.
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