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New Online Video Documents Japanese Dolphin Slaughter
The coalition recently produced a short video for the International Whaling Commission on the dolphin slaughter which also documents the health hazards associated with eating dolphin meat. Much of the meat is contaminated with mercury, which can cause Minamata poisoning in humans and result in irreversible brain damage and severe birth defects. In January 2007, we reported that Japan's largest grocery store chain, the Okuwa Supermarket Corporation, announced that they would no longer sell dolphin meat in their stores for this reason. The Save the Japan Dolphins coalition (consisting of IDA, the Animal Protection Institute, Earth Island Institute, the Elsa Nature Conservatory, and One Voice) has teamed up before for the annual Japan Dolphin Day, an international day of action to stop the dolphin slaughter. For the past two years on Japan Dolphin Day, we have joined with Earth Island Institute to coordinate numerous protests outside Japanese Consulates and held major press conferences to break this important story to the media. What You Can Do 1) Watch the Save the Japan Dolphins coalition video about the Japanese drive fishery. The footage is all new, shot by pioneering dolphin advocate Richard O'Barry last fall in Taiji, Japan. Be aware that some of it is very graphic. 2) Politely contact Japanese officials and demand a permanent end to the drive fisheries and the preservation of dolphins and whales as natural treasures. Ryozo Kato |
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