Dolphin killings continue in Japan

Despite numerous protests from the world community, in Japan, the bloody catching of dolphins is considered an absolutely normal and legal business, which also brings a lot of money.

(Total 11 photos)

1. Dolphin hunting season opens every year from October to April in western Japan. Groups of fishermen from the village of Taiji in Wakayama province use special devices to create a noise screen in the water and drive hundreds of dolphins into a small protected Taiji bay, where the animals are trapped.

2. This method of hunting dolphins is called "drive hunting" and is sometimes used for other cetaceans. At the same time, dolphins are driven by boats into a bay or bay, and sometimes right on the shore. To prevent the animal from escaping, all paths to the open sea or ocean are blocked by boats and nets.

3. In Japan, mainly striped, narrow-nosed dolphins, gray dolphins and bottlenose dolphins are hunted.

4. After the animals enter the corral, some of the dolphins are selected for captivity in dolphinariums - for this, representatives from many countries come to select dolphins that will be taken away and used for display, dolphin prices reach up to $ 150,000.

5. Part is released into the sea, and the rest of the fishermen are driven out into shallow water and killed with knives, spears and hooks. However, many dolphins do not die immediately.

6. Despite the highly controversial nature of hunting attracting international criticism, and the health risks of the frequent occurrences of contaminated meat, thousands of dolphins are driven hunted each year.

7. The people of Taiji have been hunting dolphins since time immemorial.

8. The village of Taiji became famous all over the world after the film by Louis Psyhoyos "The Cove" - it showed the slaughter of dolphins with harpoons near this village, the film shows the whole process of hunting, which is more like a carnage. The film shows how profitable the business of these animals is, including for the Japanese government, and also talks about the suffering experienced by dolphins in dolphinariums and in captivity.

9. Meat and blubber of dolphins were found to contain high levels of mercury, cadmium, the pesticide DDT, and organic pollutants such as PCBs. The degree of contamination is high enough to pose a health risk to frequent meat eaters, and researchers warn that pregnant women and children should not eat the meat at all.

10. Due to health concerns, the price of dolphin meat has dropped significantly.

11. Just like the people of the Faroe Islands, the Japanese justify the actions of the trappers by the fact that the inhabitants of Taiji have been engaged in such hunting since time immemorial, and also by the fact that the regulation of the dolphin population is important to local fishermen.