September 2022

Save Taiji Dolphins, #Don'tBuyATicket

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It's the worst time of the year again, when the Taiji dolphin drive hunt commencing this month. If you're not familiar with the documentary, The Cove, we've attached a link to watch it for free below. The Cove exposes a dolphin killing "tradition" in Taiji, Japan where dolphins are forcefully herded into a cove, where the dolphins deemed prettiest are condemned to a life in captivity, while the rest get slaughtered away from the publics' eye and for their meat, ridden with mercury and other toxins, to be sold in grocery markets.

The photo to the left represents this season's quota on cetacean species. Actual catch records are much lower than the allotted quota, which only leaves us to believe a couple things: 1. Certain cetacean species are declining around Japan, and 2. Education and awareness is working to decline their catch. One concerning practice in which Sea Shepherd has confirmed observing is the poor attempt from Taiji fishermen releasing some bottlenose dolphins, which catch of this particular species has significantly declined throughout the seasons. The issue with this practice is dolphins have this complex social structure and can't just be released if their other pod members have been slaughtered. Sea Shepherd's credible reports indicate dolphins washing up ashore after these releases. 

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The only sure thing to do to stop this is continue to spread awareness. We can all show our communities that we do not support the captivity industry by not buying a ticket to dolphinariums across the world! Stand with us and Dolphin Project to protect what we love and #EndDolphinCaptivity.

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You can donate directly to Dolphin Project below, who are on the frontlines documenting the hunts each year and working to help save Taiji dolphins.