Taiji- Dolphin Slaughter

Having three days left until I go to Omaha, I didn't really have much to do today other than to go shopping for some athletic shoes. After I got back, I turned on Netflix and flipped through the programs to see if there were any interesting shows. After surfing through the documentary section, I found "The Cove". It was a documentary dealing on dolphins in Japan, and the summary mentioned some secret that nobody knew outside of the town of Taiji.

The town of Taiji is a small neighborhood known for whales and dolphins. They have a museum dedicated to the sea animals and also have dolphin shows in their park. This is the attractions for tourists who visit the town. Ironically, while having dolphin shows and having logos and posters showing cute dolphin characters, they also sell dolphin and whale meat. (Kind of disgusting to watch dolphins and then to go buy their meat to eat)

What these tourists don't know is where the meat came from. On the beach of Taiji, there is a lagoon where nobody is allowed to enter. There are signs around the area warning intruders from entering. The fishermen and local officials physically stop individuals from attempting to get into the area. Now, people can see that dolphins are gathered from the sea and brought into the shore of this lagoon. However, since people aren't allowed near the lagoon, nobody knows what happens to the dolphins in the lagoon. (Although everybody can assume that they are slaughtered in there)

Dolphin activists, led by Ric O'Barry, try to infiltrate this area in the documentary. They use the night to enter the area to set up hidden cameras throughout the lagoon. What they find out and see through this covert operation is the mass slaughter of dolphins. Japanese fishermen are literally stabbing at the helpless dolphins after they fence them in the lagoon. It is said that an average of 23,000 dolphins are killed in that lagoon annually. After the slaughter, the body of water turns and remains dark red for a long time. The underwater camera can hear dolphins' high pitched screaming.

It is depressing to see how this type of massacre can still happen in the 21st century. With so many animal activists and organizations formed throughout the world, I cannot believe this practice is still allowed.

Obviously, some might argue that this is similar to what humans do to cows and pigs. Japanese actually say it is a form of pest control, since dolphins consume a large quantity of fish. However, the difference between killing cows and dolphins is that dolphins are actually very harmful for humans. It has been tested that dolphin meat contains a large amount of mercury which is poisonous to humans. Consumption of mercury can have devastating results for humans as their body deteriorates.

The practice of such animalistic behavior needs to stop now.

I went to the website below to sign my petition to end this practice.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/724/210/624/

If you are reading this, please help the cause.