This is a special invitation for you to join one of the Save Japan Dolphins Day rallies happening around the world in front of Japanese embassies and consulates. A worldwide, peaceful – and lawful – protest against the annual dolphin slaughter in Japan will take place tomorrow from 12h00 to 14h00. You can also catch a special free screening of The Cove tonight at Daddy Long Legs in the City Bowl.
You may have seen The Cove already; if you haven’t, this Academy Award-winning documentary is a must-see. It shone a light on “a dark and deadly secret”: the cruel and bloody annual slaughter of thousands of dolphins in a small cove in the town of Taiji, Japan.
The film, which was released last year, made a deep impact across the globe, and ordinary citizens like you and me have increasingly come forward to voice their distress at the slaughter as well as at wider marine crimes like whale hunting and shark finning.
In response to this cruel practice and the public outcry against it, the Save Japan Dolphins organisation has declared October 14 Save Japan Dolphins Day and has organised a peaceful protest to raise awareness around the plight of these majestic marine mammals.
These peaceful marches will take place at Japanese embassies around the world tomorrow, and equally peaceful Capetonians can voice their concern by joining the South African arm of Save Japan Dolphins from 12h00 to 14h00 at the Japanese Consulate General at the Standard Bank Centre on Hertzog Boulevard. The protest calls for action by the Japanese government to stop the controversial dolphin hunt in Taiji.
Click here to view the Facebook event.
In the small fishing village of Taiji, the dolphin drive hunt is carried out by about 26 fishermen from September to March. Terrorising dolphins with underwater sound, the fishermen herd these creatures into a secret killing cove.
Live dolphins captured in a Taiji dolphin drive hunt recently sold for $154 000 (more than R1-million) per dolphin, but thousands are slaughtered for their meat – often containing toxic levels of mercury – which is common fare in Japan.
Local environmental activists, wildlife supporters and concerned citizens are called to join the protest tomorrow from 12h00 to 14h00. Please wear either a grey or white shirt or T-shirt and bring a candle or banner to show your support.
Says local organiser and film editor Bahia Fitchen, “I knew that this [global] event was taking place so I just did it. For now we are just a small group of people who like the film and decided to get involved.
“Because this is a global event I think it’s important that South Africans get involved; we have an important tourism industry, and a lot of it’s based around whales. Also, this is a chance for people who liked the film and don’t want these things to continue to have their voice. This is a catalyst for people to get together.”
Bahia and co have organised a special, free (yes, free) screening of The Cove tonight at Daddy Long Legs (134 Long Street) in the City Bowl for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie or would like to view it again. Doors open at 19h30 and the screening will start at 20h00 – first come, first served, but you can count on being moved.
Did you know?
This is an excerpt from the Save Japan Dolphins website; for more about this issue, please visit their website.
• The Japanese government issues 23 000 permits annually to coastal communities to kill dolphins of several species.
• A few are sold, at great profit, to aquariums and swim-with-dolphins programmes around the world.
• The majority of the pod is then slaughtered for meat. But the meat is contaminated with outrageous amounts of mercury and other pollutants, exceeding the Japanese government’s own health limits. This is a human rights issue as much as an animal welfare issue.
• Activists will be protesting the hunts and urging Japan to switch to more sustainable and benign methods of profit, such as eco-tourism and dolphin watching cruises.
