Honey the Dolphin Dies Alone in Japan Park
We have just learned that Honey, the lone dolphin kept in an near-abandoned animal park in Japan, has died. She had been alone in her tank for several years until her death. Despite efforts by local Japanese activists and international organizations (including the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute), the owners and Japanese authorities refused to take action to transfer Honey to a better facility with companion dolphins.
On March 29th, she died in a filthy, unkept tank due to obstructive enteritis.
Honey was captured in Taiji, Japan in 2005 - a bottlenose dolphin torn from her family in the bloody dolphin drive hunts. She wound up in Inubozaki Marine Park in Choshi city, in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, along with other dolphins. But her last companion dolphin died in the park in 2017, leaving her completely alone.
In January 2018, the park closed and never re-opened. Along with Honey, forty-six penguins and hundreds of fish and reptiles were left stranded in the park. Paid employees continued to feed the animals at subsistence level, but efforts to clean the tanks and give the animals proper care dissipate, leaving Honey and the others in complete isolation. Efforts to move the animals to a better facility never developed.
The owners of the park disappeared, reportedly in hiding from creditors. Without the owners’ permission, the Chiba government authorities refused to take any action for the animals. Local Japanese activists were able to get some photos of Honey in her dirty tank, but they and international organizations were unable to convince Chiba health authorities to step in and seize the animals to transfer them to a better facility.
IMMP had contacted the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, who told us they were aware of the situation, and that some Aquariums had offered to take Honey into their facilities, but again the lack of action from the owners doomed such efforts. http://savedolphins.eii.org/news/entry/honey-a-captive-dolphin-abandoned-in-shuttered-aquarium-in-japan
There are more than one hundred captive dolphin facilities in Japan alone, ranging from large SeaWorld-style theme parks to small netted enclosures in harbors where tourists pay for a “dolphin encounter”. Clearly, the government of Japan is totally deficient in concern for wild or captive dolphins.
While our IMMP office in Berkeley, CA, is now closed due to the pandemic, our local and international staff are working from home, dedicated to ending the killing and captures of cetaceans and ending captivity for good.
On the Japan front, we continue to press the government of Japan to end whaling and the captures and killing of dolphins before the commencement of the summer Olympics in Tokyo (now postponed to July 2021. Our dedication and campaign work to safeguard the lives of whales and dolphins remains steadfast, despite the challenges presented by Coronavirus.
As you are undoubtedly reading this blog from home, know that our IMMP team also cares about YOUR health and wellbeing. Thanks for staying engaged!
Tired of being in social isolation? Before her death, Honey the dolphin suffered in isolation for years, like the thousands of animals in captivity today. Please make a tax-deductible donation to help the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute work to end captivity for dolphins and whales around the world. Thank you for your support.
