From Freedom to Captivity: Investigation reveals pod of 300 dolphins being herded and captured into Japan’s Red Cove
The dolphins struggled for their freedom, with a few juveniles in the pod. They even communicated with each other through clicking and whistling. It was a heart wrenching sight.
PRABIR GHOSE: Hunting dolphins is a regular practice in Japan. Its schedule is from September 1 to February 28 and the government defines the annual quota for each species. The fishermen can either kill them or capture them. This year, the quota is 1749. Against this background, a non-profit organization filmed how the captors drove a pod of more than 100 wild dolphins into the Red Cove, notorious for this annual exercise. The organization that recorded the incident is Life Investigation Agency LIA. It says there were three juveniles among the lot and the final destination of the dolphins would be some marine park or aquarium. They would remain captive for the rest of their lives…
9News AU says the location of the filming was Taiji, a small coastal town in Wakayama Prefecture. The images revealed a number of boats that were herding the dolphins into shallower waters and subsequently hauling them into their boats. It was not a pleasant sight as the animals struggled for freedom but were powerless against their captors… LIA director Ren Yabuki was present at the scene and watched the operation of fishermen capturing the dolphins who struggled for their freedom but had to suffer in silence.
He explained to a section of the media about his helplessness. The fishermen herded the pod from the open waters into the narrow cove. 9News AU quotes him saying – “Dolphins that were selected were thrashing in resistance.” He adds that the animals resisted in their own way. They even communicated with each other through clicking and whistling. It was a heart wrenching sight with a few juveniles in the lot.
A non-profit organization that works closely with LIA informs that 59 of the animals are identified for dispatch to the marine park and aquarium trade. In Argentina, there was an instance of the death of a baby dolphin when tourists were taking selfies with it… Another matter of concern for dolphins is a type of skin disease that can lead to deaths… According to CTV News, dolphins suffer from a skin disease linked to climate change. The disease is fatal. SOURCE…
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