END TAIJI DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER

Here are a few facts from the Sea Sheherd please visit their website to donate, and educate yourself on the Taiji Dolphin Slaughter.

There are currently twelve small dolphin hunting boats operating in Taiji, and each of these boats depart Taiji harbor at first light in search of wild dolphins. The boats fan out upon and beyond the horizon to cover a larger expanse of ocean, in order to effectively search well-known migratory routes.

Upon locating a pod, the dolphin hunters radio each of the other boats, giving them their location in order to start the ‘drive’ of the pod into the killing cove.

The boat that initially discovered the dolphins remains with the pod until other boats arrive. Once there are five or more boats on the scene, the hunters will initiate the drive.

The boats form a v-shaped wall around the family of dolphins. The dolphin hunters then utilize the long metal pole attached to the side of each boat, hammering the flanges on top to create a deafening “wall” of sound. The banging sound terrifies the dolphins, causing them to swim away from the sound, in the direction of the driving boats – driving them straight toward the Cove.

The hunters chase the dolphins toward Taiji Harbor until they have been forced into shallow waters, following the coastline into the Cove. Once successfully driven into the Cove, the dolphins are netted into the small shallow area. Hunters arrive in small hand motor-powered skiffs to work side-by-side with dolphin trainers to select dolphins for a life in captivity. The skiffs are also used to force the dolphins onto the rocky shore of the cove, segregate the family pods, and to transport the dead bodies of those slaughtered to the butcher house.