Japan Dolphin Day 2007 - September 25th
Join IDA and others in worldwide protests against slaughter

Every year in small towns along the Japanese coast, fishermen conduct drive fisheries to massacre about 20,000 marine mammals in the most brutal way imaginable. They herd whole pods of dolphins, porpoises, and small whales into shallow bays, then slaughter them using sharp spears and hooks. Most are butchered for meat that is sold in restaurants and supermarkets, while a choice few are sold to marine parks where they spend decades in loneliness and deprivation.

The annual Japan Dolphin Day is a global day of action when a broad range of organizations and activists band together to oppose the drive fisheries. As a member of the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition, sponsor and coordinator of Japan Dolphin Day, IDA asks you to take part in one of the many demonstrations that will be held outside of Japanese embassies and consulates around the world on Tuesday, September 25th. We hope this will be the biggest Japan Dolphin Day ever so that together we can finally bring this atrocious "tradition" to an end.

In our eNews earlier this month, we reported that, for the first time ever, Japanese government officials publicly condemned the consumption of dolphin meat on the grounds that it is contaminated with dangerously high levels of mercury. Coupled with the cruelty involved in the dolphins' capture and killing, this development provides an unprecedented opportunity for activists to pressure the Japanese government into taking action to stop the drive fisheries.

What You Can Do

- Take part in Japan Dolphin Day on Tuesday, September 25th, and ask your family and friends to join you. IDA will again hold a protest at the Japanese Consulate in San Francisco, so please be there with us if you live in the Bay Area (contact melissa@idausa.org for more information). Other events are already planned Washington, D.C.; New York City; Boston; Mexico City; Toronto; London; Stockholm; and Budapest. For more information on these events or for help planning a Japan Dolphin Day event in your area, contact ricobarry@bellsouth.net.

- Download and print out our flyer for distribution at protests.

- If you belong to a conservation or animal protection organization, urge them to join this effort by organizing an event. Call (415) 788-3666 or email marinemammal@earthisland.org for more information.

- Watch a short video about the drive fisheries produced by the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition. Be aware that some of the scenes depict graphic slaughter.