The report begins: "One Japanese coastal village, whose annual dolphin hunt was made famous in the Oscar-winning documentary 'The Cove,' opened this year's season on Friday by reportedly herding together 20 of the mammals while opponents ramped up protests against the practice."

In, 'The Cove' at Taiji, Japan, the ritual slaughter of Dolphins has resumed, 09/03/10. (photo: Perth Now)

Japanese Hunt Dolphins Into the Cove,
Once More

By Ravi Somaiya, Newsweek

03 September 10

Trailer, The Cove

Activists protest start of annual chase, which locals see as a cultural event.

ne Japanese coastal village, whose annual dolphin hunt was made famous in the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, opened this year's season on Friday by reportedly herding together 20 of the mammals while opponents ramped up protests against the practice.

Residents of Taiji hunt dolphins and whales for food annually, and sell what the Associated Press calls "the best-looking" ones to zoos and aquariums. Japan's government has set a yearly quota of 20,000, and argues that the killings and captures are no different from raising pigs and cows. The hunt is not subject to international antiwhaling laws.

But dolphin campaigners, including Rick O'Barry, the former Flipper trainer who starred in The Cove, say the practice is barbaric. Protesters, including O'Barry, gathered in Tokyo this week to mark the September 1 start of the season. They presented a petition with 1.7 million signatures to the U.S. embassy there, in an apparent attempt to persuade President Obama to lobby for their cause when he visits Japan in November, according to Agence-France Presse.

The protesters were warned not to travel to Taiji after threats by a Japanese nationalist group with a tendency for violence. Many Japanese see the hunt as an important cultural event, and say The Cove was anti-Japanese. "Police have warned me that, if I went, there would be violence," O'Barry told AFP. "We don't want to provoke violence."

Watched by activists with the group Sea Shepherd, a fleet of six boats left Taiji at 5.30 a.m. Thursday, according to the Japan Times, with hunters soon spotting a pod of about 20 dolphins and, according to AP, herding them into the cove.

When the eyes of the world are not on them, the hunters typically select the best dolphins to sell, and harpoon the others "until the waters turn red with blood," according to AP. This year a village official told the news agency that some fine examples had been kept for sale and the rest set free. But the Japan Times noted that "the whalers will continue their hunt through next spring."

Comments

-1 # Guest 2010-09-04 03:41

Hiroshima ... one more time!

The Japanese have high technology, great work ethics, discipline, and exquisite manners. The only thing they don't have is friends.

But, what the hell, they can eat dolphin.

+2 # Guest 2010-09-04 04:29

This is NOT like killing cows and sheep which are bred and raised by farmers. Dolphins are wild and are not artificially
fed and raised by humans. They fend for themselves and can been eaten to EXTINCTION. STUPID GREEDY FISHERMAN IN JAPAN!!!!!!!!!

+2 # Guest 2010-09-04 11:37

The same could be said for many of our fisherman for the same reasons. Some of our species of wild animals are going extinct due to overfishing/hunting, by catch deaths, advanced technology, diverting water for agribusiness, dams, and pollution. Let's fix our issues before using resorting to name-calling and xenophobic impulses. Free all the dolphins in all the marine attractions and stop using them for entertainment and circus-like attractions.

+2 # Guest 2010-09-04 08:24

Most of the Japanese public is unaware of the practice. If they knew what was going on, the practice would probably stop as a result of pressure from the Japanese public. Similarly, if the American public knew how cows and pigs were raised and killed food, there would be an outcry against factory slaughterhouses . Shirley, I take issue with your point. Killing of animals is killing of animals whether its done in the wild or in a mechanized factory. Some people eat horsemeat. Some people in this world eat dogmeat. Many people eat cows and pigs.

+1 # Guest 2010-09-04 08:25

Make a movie that shows graphic footage of killing of ALL these animals: cows, pigs, dolphins, dogs, horses, whales, seals. When you see different kinds of slaughter side by side, you'll discover that the blood of all mammals looks red. Then make your judgment as to whether Japanese are more barbaric than other races.

-1 # Guest 2010-09-04 08:38

The human race is the most barbaric of all the animal kingdom. To condemn dolphin killing and then have bacon and eggs for breakfast, then a steak dinner the same night is hypocritical.

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