All eyes on Japan while the world is watching and awaiting news of Taijis dolphin drive fisheries.

This is not a matter of culture or tradition. If it were: Why are cetaceans being selected to go into captivity? Why are there strategic selective processes for selling on live cetaceans prior to deciding the cull victims? Why is there evidence to suggest these recent drives were resurged by the emergence of marine parks? Why release 130 mammals one day and chase another pod the next.

It clearly all comes down to money. There is a considerable amount of profit to be made from cetaceans for the marine entertainment trade. This new business has not been around for centuries; therefore stating it is st due to tradition is absurd. In one hunt alone (January 21 2014) 52 individuals were captured for sale and 41 were slaughtered for food. This clearly shows that the primary objective on this slaughter was to place animals into captivity which negates any reasoning that it is purely for a traditional practice. I have been able to view live stream events of the recent drive hunt which ended 21 January 2014. It is clear that no respect or care was awarded to these animals. I viewed skiffs and boat motors drive straight over dolphins and not a morsel of food was offered to these animals in 4 days of entrapment! It is accepted in the scientific community that dolphins are only second to humans in their natural intelligence; they feel a number of human emotions such as self-awareness, family bonds and grief! This is not me placing anthropomorphism attributes to this order but it has been scientifically studied across the world by leading scientists. Therefore please take a moment to envision the distress these dolphins experience when either having their babies stolen, watching their family members being slaughtered or spending their lives in captivity. I would also like to mention that there is increasing evidence to suggest these recent drive hunts were resurged by the emergence of marine parks. Many countries across the globe have whaling backgrounds, but we deem this practice unsuitable in modern day as our knowledge pioneers us forward to find more ethical solutions. Theoretically the UK has stopped whaling for some time and according to Japans views it w ould be suitable to start trawling the waters for marine mammal species and sell because we whaled in the past. The UK would be in uproar if this was to happen and modern thinking and evolution has shown that it is unnecessary. Japans spokes people have often been quoted the last few days stating that what they do is legal and that it is based on the tradition of hunting for food. I have already mentioned the confusing ratio between captured cetaceans and slaughtered cetaceans, so find it increasingly difficult to accept these claims. I also refute their st statements when on the 21 January 2014 130 140 starved, battered and disorientated bottlenose dolphins were released from the cove after a selection process of captives and then as a food source; to find more information from those at the Cove that the 12 fishing boats are back out chasing another pod of cetaceans! Unbelievably I can therefore confirm to myself that this is not a tradition for a food source, they are looking for high quality specimens to sell to the captive marine trade. I have already mentioned the treatment of the cetaceans previously but I would like to revisit it. On the 21 September 2014 130- 140 bottlenose dolphins were sent back to the ocean but what they experienced at the hands of these fishermen is barbaric. They have been forced into the cove after being disorientated by the 12 ships banging on mental poles which in turn affects their echolocation; starved for 4 days; man handled by fishermen and aquarium trainers; and had family pods ripped apart either through abduction or watching the murder of their relatives. You may or may not be aware that dolphins are very self-aware, they each have a signature whistle which they primarily know as their name, they are also very awa re of all family members and create strong everlasting bonds with them. This is emphasised by the research into mass standings by
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cetaceans where individuals will stay in their family pods even if this puts the individual in danger. So bearing this in mind along with the fact that their intelligence and emotional capabilities consider the implications of the abductions and slaughters have on the living. It is expected that these starved and distressed individuals will be too weak to hunt fish upon their release and may also perish due to the conditions experienced. Ive mentioned the slaughter but I want to highlight the suicide capabilities of dolphins. While penned in at the cove the dolphins showed extremely distressing behaviour, they circled each other into tight protective circles; spy hopping was viewed which is where a dolphin bobs in the water to view the surroundings or potentially in this case to view where her family member have gone. This is what happened in the case of the mother of the albino calf taken from the cove on this occasion. The mother was seen spy hopping after traumatically being forced aside while trainers took her baby; she then submerged herself and never resurfaced. Dolphins are unlike humans and many other species in the fact that they consciously breathe, they need to open their blow hole to take in air. It has been document in a number of cases including captivity that a seemingly healthy dolphin will refuse to take another breath and commit suicide in stressful situations. Therefore a rare albino dolphin and her pod should have been left in their natural environment to flourish. Throughout this I have referred to the killers as fishermen but I would like to set something straight. Dolphin are not fish, they have evolved from hoofed land mammals. Therefore I will refuse to call these killers fisherman but propose to call them slaughter men just as the UK calls those despatching mammals. I want to highlight that these slaughter men have no animal husbandry. They allow for animals to become trapped and drown in nets and refuse to feed them. The slaughter process is graphic but I feel it needs explaining. A metal spike is hammered into the spinal column of the animals, removed and a bamboo cane is placed to prevent a dramatic amount of blood loss. I just want to mention that the accuracy of this is in question as the animals are thrashing from being constrained. The process can take a dolphin up to 30 minutes to die and will be conscious of this pain for the duration. This is purely unacceptable. We have come across much opposition in the last few days, mainly calling western society hypocrites because of our meat trade. My understanding is that in the UK we have animal welfare laws and regulations, that animals are quickly stunned before slaughter and the slaughter is immediate and not dragged out. I will stand by the fact that in the UK we have high animal welfare conditions and should not be compared or criticised by individuals creating smoke screens to hide the real message. Regardless of species conservation status the drives are cruel, inhumane and unnecessary. The Taiji Slaughter men are placing a death sentence on not only the individuals they slaughter but those in captivity and those released in the wild. Lets all stand together and show Japan that this tradition is not acceptable in 2014!