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The second horrific day of the captive selection process in the killing cove
as 200 plus dolphins were tormented for another grueling 8 hours
as dolphins were individually caught to be examined for captivity |
Horrific day in Taiji Japan at The Cove for the 250+ (minus the 25 taken yesterday) exhausted and traumatized bottlenose dolphins on the 2nd day of the awful captive selection. This is the dolphins 3rd day without food, and fresh fish provide all the dolphins water requirements, so they are dehydrated too. Of course, all days are horrific in Taiji when the killers are in The Cove with dolphins. The Raw GREED of the Taiji killers was awful as they continued to harass these poor dolphins for hours today after yesterdays awful experience, and the day before, the terrifying hunt drive from the ocean.....these dolphins are exhausted, miserable and heartbroken.
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Killers working the dolphins in the net, dolphins looking at the "monsters".
There is no aggression towards the killers from the dolphins,
even under these extreme conditions |
"The way they [ the dolphins] look at the monsters in the boats, it makes me wonder if they have encountered people and boats before and wonder why those monsters are not helping them. Its like they expect the help but receive none, which is even more heartbreaking to see." -Captive Cetacean SBTS
From watching the live selection on the
Sea Shepard Cove Guardian's Livestream broadcast:
The day started with the killers moving the nets to organize the poor dolphins to make it easier for the killers to continue choosing dolphins for captivity for the rest of their now shortened lives. The killers covered the rocky shore of The Cove with bright yellow plastic to keep the dolphins from getting stuck on the rocks as they frantically try and escape the frightening divers in black wetsuits.
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| Three divers surround a dolphin while his friends refuse to leave his side. |
The killers, shouting and laughing, crowded the traumatized dolphins into the shallow cove water and manhandling them as they wrestled the thrashing dolphins into the small nets to drag them attached to skiffs, under the tarps. There, they are examined by the trainers to see if they are "pretty" enough to be selected for a lifetime of captivity in aquariums and swim with dolphin programs all over the world. The ones not chosen are marked with a large brushstroke of white paint so that they are not caught again, and released back into the netted area with others, also with the white mark and await their fate - slaughter or perhaps release back into the ocean?
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| Sheer chaos erupts as dolphins try to free themselves and rush the net |
Netting the dolphins to drag under the tarps is brutal as the dolphins fight to be free. It takes 3, 5 or 7 divers to manhandle a struggling, frightened dolphin. The divers grab them by the dorsal fin, by the nose and tail. The divers even throw their wetsuited bodies over the dolphins to dominate and subdue the dolphins enough to get the small net around them so the skiffs can drag them away. In their panic to get away, the dolphins swim into the nets getting tangled, making the killers angry as they shout at the divers to get the dolphins untangled. The killers use their skiffs to intimidate the dolphins and forcing the panicked dolphins even closer together. You could occasionally hear the dolphins vocalizing, the faint birdlike, urgent peeps as they call out to one another in distress.
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The killers intimidate the dolphins to control them
by deliberately running their skiffs motors at them,
this dolphin was badly injured as the propeller
cut it, but the killers don't care |
At one point, the killers running their skiff motors at the dolphins to crowd them together, hit an unfortunate dolphin cutting it badly with the skiffs propeller. The Sea Shepard Cove Guardians describing the scene on their Livestream broadcast, were shocked at the barbaric sight. Shocking as it is, the killers were always droving their skiffs over the trapped dolphins, it never mattered to the killers. It was so incredibly sad seeing the poor dolphin's faces on the SSCG's Livestream broadcast as they fought the killers, it seemed that they were beseeching them for help, why were the killers hurting them? Dolphins are friendly to mankind, why were these "men" hurting them? After hours of selection, 10 more dolphins were taken away for captivity, they joined the 25 that were selected yesterday bringing the total, so far, to 35 dolphins taken. The killers take a break, to rest, eat and drink.... sadly, no refreshment for the dolphins.
Whenever the killers activity slowed down, the dolphins would swim in endless, terrified circles trying to keep away from the empty skiffs, and get some small comfort from close body contact with their family members.
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Killers were quickly trying to hide the death of a captive Spotted dolphin
Caught earlier in the week, it was taken to the butcher house. |
When the killers returned from their break, the Cove Guardians found out that one of the Spotted dolphins caught a few days ago had died and was taken to the butcher house. After the killers lunch break, the SSCG Livestream camera recorded a small, juvenile dolphin being manhandled by a diver, as the narrator described the scene, moments later, the small body of another juvenile dolphin that had died in the terrible melee was seen being dragged away by another diver. It's awful to see the rush of the dolphins to get away from the killers in skiffs, it's like watching theater goers stampeding to get away from a fire, it's no wonder some small dolphins are dying in the panic.
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| Despite exhaustion these dolphins fought for every last bit of freedom. |
The selection process continued for 8 hours, through out the long, miserably long afternoon. The methodical "fisherscum" as they have been called, kept wrestling dolphins into the small nets, dragging them with the skiffs and underneath the tarps to be examined as potential captives for sale. If judged "pretty" enough for captivity, the dolphin is then put into a sling, attached to a skiff, two dolphins to a skiff and taken to the Taiji dolphin base to start it's sad captive life. Those judged not "pretty" enough are painted with the white paint and put with the others with the white mark - what will be their fate? Through out the long afternoon all the Livestream watchers all over the world waited, wondered and held their breaths. The dolphins exhausted condition, both physically and mentally after this grueling ordeal, will make survival difficult after all this horror if any are released.
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| One of many dolphins injured in the selection process, looks for a way out |
The Taiji killers are given a quota by the Japanese government for the 2013-2014 season for bottlenose dolphin capture/slaughter, there are quotas for all the other dolphin species taken too. At the beginning of this drive of the 250 bottlenose here is where this year's quota numbers are:
Quota = 557 bottlenose dolphins allowed to be taken for captivity and slaughter
319 caught so far for the season, not counting this 250 bottlenose pod.
87 killed - these were slaughtered for meat.
71 live-capture - these are going to live the rest of their now shortened lives in captivity.·
158 total take - all the bottlenose dolphins taken so far this year by the killers.
160 released - from the 319 caught, these bottlenose dolphins were released as unfit for captivity and slaughter.
Quota = 557 which means there are 399 more allowed! That is nearly twice this bottlenose dolphin pod.
15 dolphins were taken today into captivity sadly, 1 of those dolphins died and was taken to the butcher house. Yesterday was 25, so the total numbers of bottlenose dolphins taken so far is 40. We will find out the total numbers tomorrow, and the
Quota numbers will be adjusted then....remember there are 399, minus 40 =
359 more bottlenose dolphins allowed to be captured or slaughtered!
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| The remaining pod left for a third night in the killing cove. |
After 8 grueling hours, the trainers left The Cove in a skiff. The tarps were pulled back, then the killers left, they were done for the day. The rest of the 200+ traumatized pod are still trapped in The Cove, divided in several netted areas. They have been left by the killers, for another night to suffer. We hope these poor dolphins can comfort one another as best they can after experiencing such misery. Tomorrow will be their 4th day without food, missing their family and companions. As bad as the past 3 days have been, tomorrow will be worse, the slaughter will begin. The Sea Shepard Cove Guardians disheartened, signed off their Livestream.....
....Another horrific day in Taiji ends.
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Kindness for Animals
See and find out more about this incredibly sad day:
- Sea Shepard Cove Guardian PHOTOS of the awful day
- Ric O'Berry's Dolphin Project PHOTOS and commentary of the awful day
Please read more about this tragic story of the 250+ dolphin pod with a baby albino dolphin that happened over 5 days:
Day 1 - Dolphin Drive Captures 250+ Dolphins Plus Baby Albino
Day 2 - First Day of Captive Selection:
Day 2 - Baby Albino Dolphin, Angel, is Taken First into Captivity
Day 3 -
This is this post: Horrific Second Day of Captive Selection Continues
Day 4 - 3rd Day of Captive Selection
Day 5 - The slaughter of 40 of the remaining dolphins who have survived so far and release and drive back out to sea of the exhausted, injured, traumatized and starving dolphins.
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News Reports of what was happening:
- The Daily Mail UK Online: REPORT "Dolphins including rare albino worth millions await their fate after being rounded up in cove while Japanese fishermen will decide whether they live or die"
- The Daily Mail UK Online: REPORT "Cruel Japanese fishermen pick 25 dolphins for aquarium life from a captive pod of 250 as remainder face 'mass slaughter'"
- CNN: REPORT "Group: 250 dolphins await slaughter, lifetime of captivity at Japan's Taiji Cove."
How you can help:
- Share news about the Taiji Slaughters with your family and friends.
- Share on all your social media sites, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, everywhere you can and spread the news that this is happening. The more people who know, the greater the pressure on the Japanese government to stop this.
- Do not buy a ticket to any aquarium that has captive dolphins and whales - the demand for captive cetaceans provides a market for the Taiji Killers and they make huge amounts of money, take away their incentive!
- Do not buy a ticket to any swim with dolphin programs - the demand for dolphins provides a market for the Taiji Killers and they make huge amounts of money, take away their incentive!
- Please contact news media and ask them to cover this tragedy happening in Taiji.
- If you know anyone in Japan who you can share this with, PLEASE share. Most people in Japan Do Not know this is happening, the Japanese government and news media don't want this exposed. They call it "Tradition", well slavery was a "Tradition" for most countries through out history, so calling something "Tradition" does not make it right.
