WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES ARE PRESENT IN THIS ARTICLE
The Taiji dolphin-hunting season is entering its second month, with a series of horrendous dolphin slaughters depicted in many news reports.
According to CetaBase, the dolphin killing & capture quota, prepared by the Japan Fisheries Agency for Taiji this season, is 2,040 dolphins from nine different species. The slaughter season lasts from September 1st through the end of February – six months of unrelenting chases, captures and bloodshed.
A new scientific report in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare is titled Potential Welfare Impacts of Chase and Capture of Small Cetaceans during Drive Hunts in Japan. The paper, written by a group of biologists and veterinarians, concludes that: “Based on current knowledge of these animals and the high probability for injury and suffering resulting from pursuit, chase and herding, the authors assert that the drive hunt method cannot be conducted in a humane manner and should be abandoned.”
A previous paper by several of the same authors concluded that the Taiji methods of slaughter of dolphins are inhumane and unacceptable under modern slaughterhouse and humane laws in most nations, including Japan.
This new paper focuses on the chasing, herding, separation and confinement of animals during the drive hunt process in Taiji, which is conducted by a dozen boats with poles in the water that are beaten on by the fishermen to create a wall of sound, pushing the dolphins into the Cove in Taiji. Some of the dolphins are slaughtered for meat, and others are captured for aquariums and swim-with-dolphins parks.
The authors note that there are several instances during the chase and capture phase that can injure dolphins, cause psychological harm, and induce social instability among dolphin pods. As an example of the extreme nature of trauma, dolphins that have been released back into the ocean after being chased and captured have washed up dead on the shore, dying from injuries and/or physiological stress, which can lead to capture myopathy.
The chase phase, using a “wall of sound” caused by banging on metal poles and the engine revving of the capture vessels, is particularly harmful to dolphins, who have very sensitive hearing mechanisms for navigation, feeding, and communication. The pole banging can achieve levels of sound measured at 170 dB or higher, considered “extremely loud.”
When the dolphins are finally corralled in the Cove, they can be held there for as long as a few hours to five days, while representatives of aquariums “sort” through the dolphins looking for show-quality animals – mostly young female dolphins without blemishes. During this period, some of the pod may be slaughtered in a welter of blood, terrorizing their pod mates.
The dolphin killers will manhandle dolphins, causing further stress and potential injuries. Some of the frightened dolphins become enmeshed in the nets, stretching across the Cove to prevent escapes, and drown. Others will throw themselves up on the rocks. The hunters will often rope dolphins to restrain them. Dolphins selected for captivity are hauled out of the water onto boats for transfer to small sea pens for training.
Because dolphins are very social and show compassion and mourning for fellow injured or dead animals, the entire process takes a serious toll on the pods. The dolphins are certainly intelligent enough to understand the coming pain, captivity, and death that looms when the hunting fleets surround and herd them into shore.
“We argue that based upon the evidence provided herein,” the authors conclude, “the live collection of any cetaceans from the wild should be discontinued, or at least reconsidered.”
For FAQ about the Taiji Dolphin Hunts.
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REFERENCES:
Courtney S. Vail, Diana Reiss, Philippa Brakes & Andrew Butterworth (2019): Potential Welfare Impacts of Chase and Capture of Small Cetaceans during Drive Hunts in Japan, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2019.1574576
Butterworth, A., Brakes, P., Vail, C. S., & Reiss, D. (2013). A veterinary and behavioral analysis of dolphin killing methods currently used in the “drive hunt” in Taiji, Japan. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 16(2), 184–204.
Photos courtesy of Oceanic Preservation Society.
