Japan Dolphin Slaughter Begins - Press can be conducted, documentaries can be made, horror can be shown, but still the slaughter of dolphins in Japan, more precisely in Taiji will happen no matter what and it has begun once again, as CNN reported.
The town of Taiji in Japan has had a tradition to slaughter dolphins since the 17th century and every year, from September to March they conduct the killing of these creatures.
This fact has been unbearable for Activists and social awareness became global ever since The Cove documentary was released in 2009 and showed how in this area specifically, the hunters made the slaughter and killed hundreds of dolphins. The documentary became especially famous due to the fact that it won one Oscar and nearly fifty more important awards throughout the world.
In the documentary, a group of activists show this slaughter of dolphins in Japan, and they are led by Ric O'Barry, a former trainer of dolphins who participated in the famous show Flipper (1965-1966) and then had a change of heart about dolphins who are held in captivity.
He has told CNN that "They're terrorized for hours on end... they're self-aware like humans and the great apes. They look in the mirror and they know what they're looking at. They're not domesticated animals."
This was said in response to a comparison that the Wakayama government made about slaughtering dolphins and domesticated animals like pigs. The truth is that the Wakayama government continues supporting the slaughter because Taiji needs to do it to survive.
CNN wanted to do an interview to the Wakayama government, but they declined the request and said, "Located far away from the centers of economic activity, the town has a 400-year history as the cradle of whaling, and has flourished over the years thanks to whaling and the dolphin fishery... the dolphin fishery is still and indispensable industry for the local residents to make their living."
The dolphins have two fates: one is being slaughtered and used for their meat; the other one is to be left alive and sold to aquariums.
Apparently, as the CNN has noted, the dolphin's meat has a cost of $500 approximately, but can be sold to an aquarium for $100,000.
It's cruel but it's also true. The slaughter in Japan has begun and doesn't seem like it will stop anytime soon.