The Dolphin Slaughter in Taiji

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The killing of the 20,000 Bottlenose dolphin in the Pacific Ocean in Taiji Cove, Japan is devastating and these killings are becoming an epidemic because the multi-million dollar a year aquariums and marine parks like SeaWorld are the main clients making demands for show dolphins. In the documentary The Cove,1 Richard O’Barry stated that “the aquariums request the best looking dolphins and for the other dolphins they are killed for their meat.” Although these dolphins are being killed the other few which hard to produce an approximate amount are kept alive for profit and are sold to Marine parks. “20,000 dolphins are killed every year between September through March,” Sea Shepherd3. Spear rods are used to kill the dolphins, and that technique turns the waters red with blood. Metal rods are now driven through the dolphins to cause paralysis.1 People should care about this topic because if the killings continue the side effect will be a rapid extinction of the Japanese Bottlenose dolphin, global mercury poisoning from consuming contaminated dolphin meat and major disruption in ocean ecology food chain. A journalist “Boyd Harnell2 there have been cases linked to Japanese children with birth defects because the mother has been consuming mercury contaminated dolphin meat.” This problem is occurring in the Pacific Ocean; the actual killings of the Bottlenose dolphins is in Japan, specifically the Taiji Cove.1 This cove is a naturally secluded lagoon and, this is where these butcheries happen.1 This problem is global because these carnages not only happen in Japan they happen in Peru as well, although, Japan is receiving much of the controversial heat. This is a local problem because of the secrecy and the governmental cover ups to help ... ... middle of paper ... ...ll them how the dolphins that do not survive are killed in great detail. Educate others on the link between the captive dolphin industry and the Taiji dolphin slaughter. Works Cited 1. Psihoyos L. Dir. O’Barry R. Actor. The Cove [film on DVD]. Madman: 2009 2. Boyd H. 2010. Experts fear Taiji mercury tests are fatally flawed. The Japan Times [Internet]. [2013 Jun 25, cited 2014 Feb 4]. Available from: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/05/23/life/experts-fear-taiji-mercury-tests-are-fatally-flawed/#.UvQTlPldU-U 3. Taiji's Dolphin Hunts Continue [Internet]. 2014 Jan 29: Sea Shepherd; [cited 2014 Feb 3]. Available from: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2014/01/29/taijis-dolphin-hunts-continue-1549 4. History of Taiji's Cetacean Kill [Internet]. Sea Shepherd; [cited 2014 Feb 3]. Available from: http://www.seashepherd.org/cove-guardians/cetacean-kill.html

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