JAPAN DOLPHIN DAY 2013: ACTIVISTS PRAY FOR THE SOULS OF DOLPHINS

The most gruesome mass killing of dolphins and small whales occur in a small fishing village in Japan. Known as the ‘Japanese Drive Fisheries’, the hunts start from September and end in March.

Ocean parks and aquariums buy the nicer looking animals for dolphin shows while the rest are slaughtered in what many experts say is the largest and most inhumane killing of dolphins in the world.

Activists on the ground report that a day after the start of the hunts, a pod of dolphins is now at a cove in Taiji, Japan, awaiting a grisly fate like animals before them last year. They probably are the first animals to be killed this year.

The hunts is the subject of the 2010 Oscar-winning documentary, The Cove, which sparked a global movement that is calling on Japan to end the dolphin slaughter. This year, 116 events will take place with an expected participation of over 16,000 people all over the world.

In the Philippines, the protest was led by Earth Island Institute (EII), the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and Save Freedom Island Movement (SFIM). Taking off from the ‘Sagaki’ tradition of Japanese Buddhists, the protesters offered prayers and wishes on colorful dolphin origami in order to remember the dolphins which have met a cruel fate in Japan. Performance artist, Russ Ligtas, danced the traditional Japanese art called “Butoh.”

In 2001, the Philippines imported 5 false killer whales, four of which are now dead. Another 4 bottlenose dolphins arrived in the country in 2004, one of which has died. In 2009, another 4 bottlenose dolphins were imported from Japan. All the animals are now at the Ocean Adventure facility in Subic.

The groups are asking the Philippine government to ban the import of dolphins in the country and are asking the general public not to patronize dolphin shows.

“Filipinos can contribute greatly to stopping the hunts in Japan. The drive fishery is fueled by marine parks. If we stop watching dolphin shows, there will be no need to hunt dolphins in Japan,” says Trixie Concepcion of Earth Island Institute, “It is true that when the buying stops, the killings can, too.” #######

END DOLPHIN CAPTIVITY! END THE SLAUGHTER!

For more photos, please see album at:
https://www.facebook.com/savedolphinsph/media_set?set=a.562608720467600….

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Save Dolphins <savedolphinsph@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Aug 30, 2013 at 7:00 PM
Subject: MEDIA ADVISORY: JAPAN DOLPHIN DAY 2013, INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST AGAINST DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER IN JAPAN ON SEPT 2
To:

MEDIA ADVISORY

What:  JAPAN DOLPHIN DAY 2013, INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST

      AGAINST DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER IN JAPAN

The world’s largest slaughter of dolphins and small whales begins every September in a small fishing village in Taiji, Japan. The hunts are subsidized by dolphin parks which pay a premium for ‘nicer’ looking dolphins to be trained for shows. The rest of the animals not chosen for marine parks are then slaughtered for food. But the meat is contaminated with mercury and other pollutants, exceeding the Japanese government’s own health limits. Except for a few coastal villages, majority of the Japanese population do not eat dolphin meat.

The brutality of the hunts has been featured in the 2010 Oscar-winning documentary, The Cove, as well as the Animal Planet series, Blood Dolphins.

Organizers of the global protest Save Japan Dolphins and Save Misty the Dolphin expect 107 events worldwide to be participated in by more than 12,000 people. In the Philippines, the Japan Dolphin Day 2013 will be held on September 2, Monday, 10:00am in front of the Japanese Embassy along Roxas Boulevard,  Manila. Earth Island Institute (EII) and the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) will lead the protests in Manila against the largest slaughter of dolphins in the world.

Photo opportunities will be available during the protest.

Where: In front of the Japanese Embassy, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City

When: 10:00am, 2 September 2013, Monday

For more information, please contact:

Trixie Concepcion or Angela Colmenares-Sabino       

Mobile: 0918-6293648 or 09285243670

Telefax: 4352448

MEDIA COVERAGE IS REQUESTED