Featured Image Credit:Liz Carter/Facebook Video
*WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS HEART BREAKING VIDEO FOOTAGE*
A video has been released showing the reality of Taiji, Japan.
First published on January 21st, the video shows the heart breaking capture of a baby dolphin being stolen away from its mother. The video now has over 1.5 million viral views.
In the video, you can see a group of hunters, dressed in dive gear, surrounding the cetacean calf in an effort to wrangle it away from the pod. The dolphins were relentless and desperately trying to save the calf. The mother can be seen roughly circling the group, while another large member of the pod tries to distract and deter the savage operation.
The baby dolphin almost escaped, but was viciously yanked back by the group of hunters. The “men” haul in their catch with a net and on to the boat.
Liz Carter captured the graphic footage and posted it on Facebook. Carter is currently a volunteer at the Blue Cove Days, where she claims, “The price of a ticket and a day trip out to a marine park isn’t worth this.”
Taiji is a barbaric fishing village in the Wakayama Prefecture of Japan. Every year… from September to March… thousands of dolphins meet their bloody fate. The blue waters turn red, while a few dolphin lives are “saved” for sale.
Ultimately, this dolphin will be sold to an aquarium or aquatic show somewhere in the world. BUT it definitely won’t be an American or AZA accredited facility.
Here are the facts:
- The Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and all of their members oppose these drive fisheries.
- Any facility that participates or receives animals from these hunts are not eligible to join the Alliance.
- It is against US law to import animals that were acquired from these type of hunts.
YOU CAN HELP SAVE THE TAIJI DOLPHINS.
Sign the petition that will end the sale, end the slaughter and save the Taiji dolphins.