Plaintiffs ask Wakayama court to halt permits for Taiji dolphin hunts, citing Japan's animal cruelty laws
The Wakayama District Court began hearing arguments Friday over whether dolphin hunting violates animal cruelty laws.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to stop the permits from being issued.
Wakayama Gov. Yoshinobu Nisaka issues the permits for the town of Taiji, where the hunts have drawn protests. Taiji is also known for its centuries-old whaling traditions.
The 2009 Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove” showed the town’s hunts, where dolphins were chased into a cove and bludgeoned to death, turning the waters blood red. In recent years, they changed their hunting method to suffocation.
The plaintiffs, a former Taiji resident and activist Ren Yabuki, and supporters of the case, say the killings remain traumatic and painful, despite the new method.
Wakayama conservation official Takashi Uede declined comment on the case but stressed that the prefecture believes the hunts follow the law.
The case does not demand monetary damages but could set a precedent in contesting the legality of the killings, according to Takashi Takano, the lawyer for the plaintiffs. “If these people can’t contest the permit, then who can,” he said.
Taiji officials and fishermen have defended the hunt as tradition and say eating dolphin meat is no different from eating beef or chicken. However, the hunts are also lucrative in that some dolphins are sold into captivity at aquariums and marine shows.
The government stands behind commercial whaling and is pulling out of the International Whaling Commission. Whalers are making plans to resume commercial hunting in July, for the first time in three decades.
Taiji is expected to be one of the Pacific coastal towns joining the whaling fleet.
Demand an End to Swim-With-The-Dolphins Facilities
The horrific dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan starts each year on September 1st and lasts for six months. All of the dolphins and whales that are hunted down and kept alive, have to witness the violent death of many of their beloved family/pod members before being brutally transported off to small pools/pens where they will live as traumatized, enslaved victims solely for the purpose of human entertainment and corporate greed. It is primarily because of tour operators and cruise lines that there is a huge demand for captive dolphins and whales, as well as other marine life.
As long as tour operators keep promoting and selling tickets and cruise lines keep transporting tourists to these facilities, the violent hunts will continue as will the inhumane breeding of many of the captive animals.
Please don't buy a ticket to dolphanariums or other venues (circuses, zoos, etc.) that have animals, and be sure to spread the word to others who are not aware ot this inhumane industry. It is so important that we help put an end to the hunting, terrorizing and enslaving of these precious beings, and to work towards creating safe havens where all of the animals currently being held captive can be rehabilitated and returned to their homes in nature.
Update - 3 months ago
Details from dolphinproject.com: "Officials have confirmed to Dolphin Project that on March 1, the 2018/19 drive season in Taiji, Japan ended. A total of 797 dolphins from seven species were taken captive and/or slaughtered. Worldwide demand for dolphin entertainment is the reason wild dolphins are caught. Compared to last year, 135 more dolphins were taken captive. It’s imperative that we continue to keep the pressure on and say NO to the dolphin show!"
Update - 3 months ago
Details from dolphinproject.com: "Officials have confirmed to Dolphin Project that on March 1, the 2018/19 drive season in Taiji, Japan ended. A total of 797 dolphins from seven species were taken captive and/or slaughtered. Worldwide demand for dolphin entertainment is the reason wild dolphins are caught. Compared to last year, 135 more dolphins were taken captive. It’s imperative that we continue to keep the pressure on and say NO to the dolphin show!" Please share my petition. Thank you!
Update - 1 years ago Please sign the petition in the following link. We need to keep spreading the word about the plight of these magnificent and intelligent creatures that we are capturing, abusing, and torturing for entertainment. Thank you for what you are doing! https://dolphinproject.net/take-action/please-shut-down-the-indonesian-traveling-dolphin-circus/ full update
Update - 1 years ago
Please read the message in the below link, and keep spreading the word. Places like this should not exist and breeding freaks of their kind in captivity does not work. Thank you for what you are doing!
https://dolphinproject.net/blog/post/breaking-seaworlds-baby-orca-kyara-is-dead/?utm_content=bufferf87e8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Update - 1 years ago
Please share my petition with your friends and family. We need to get the word out to as many people as possible. Also, please support Ric O'Barry's Tread for Taiji 2017 Virtual Race. The dolphins need us. Thank you for making a positive difference in this world!
https://www.facebook.com/RicOBarrysDolphinProject/?ref=br_tf
Update - 1 years ago
Please share my petition with your friends and family. We need to get the word out to as many people as possible. My petition has also been saved numerous times to the timeline on my Facebook page - Sue AnimalAdvocate. Feel free to friend me. Lastly, please take a look at the below links to see why this cause is so very important. Thank you!!
https://dolphinproject.net/take-action/save-japan-dolphins/
https://www.facebook.com/AusForDolphins/videos/1367091313374104/?pnref=story
https://dolphinproject.net/take-action/save-japan-dolphins/ https://www.facebook.com/AusForDolphins/videos/1367091313374104/?pnref=story
