SAVE JAPAN DOLPHINS DAY

Demonstration in Los Angeles

When: Wednesday, September 3rd, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Where: Japanese Consulate, 350 South Grand Avenue, Suite 1700, Los Angeles
What: Peaceful demonstration against the annual slaughter of 20,000+ dolphins in Japan, sponsored by In Defense of Animals, Earth Island Institute, and the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition.

Each year, fishermen in Japan eradicate about 23,000 dolphins and other small whales. Operating with a permit from the Japanese government, they carry out the largest massacre of cetaceans anywhere in the world. Some of the meat is sold to the public, though it is contaminated with mercury, methyl-mercury and PCBs.

On Japan Dolphin Day 2008, we will be protesting at many Japanese embassies and consulates around the world, including Los Angeles. We are asking the Japanese Minister of Health to put a warning label on all dolphin meat, similar to the warning label that has been placed on every package of cigarettes sold in Japan. If the warning label system is implemented, it should have a major impact on the demand for dolphin meat. According to IDA's President, Dr. Elliot M. Katz, "a warning label may save some of the dolphins, and it may save the people who eat them."

This international protest will set the stage for the ongoing work inside Japan in September. We will keep the pressure on until the annual dolphin slaughter is finally abolished. For more information on the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition and the issue of the Japanese slaughter of dolphins, visit www.savejapandolphins.org.