Pilot Whales Slaughtered in Taiji, Japan
By Mark J. Palmer
While the official season for Taiji dolphin drive hunts ended on Feb. 28th, the season for killing pilot whales extends to May 1st. Last week, a large pod of pilot whales was driven into the notorious Cove, just before the end of the pilot whale hunt season.
Our colleague, Kunito Seko, was present and photographed the pilot whales held behind nets by the Taiji hunters. It is of huge value that a Japanese activist is in Taiji on a regular basis – Kunito lives in Taiji and was able to capture the hunt while it happened.
After the first day of the hunt, when the pod was driven into the Cove, nets were closed preventing their escape, and the pod was left overnight.
The next day, Kunito reported that representatives of the aquarium industry joined the Taiji dolphin hunters to check the pod. One pilot whale was captured and sent to a life of captivity under miserable conditions, away from its family.
The following day, Kunito reports, twelve adult pilot whales were slaughtered for their meat. The remainder of the pod, consisting mostly of juveniles and younger pilot whales, were driven out of the Cove and back into the ocean – where their survival is very problematic, being traumatized and bereft of older pod members.
Once the pilot whales are killed (hidden by tarps), the boats drag the dead body to the Taiji slaughterhouse, where the whale is cut up into portions of meat for sale. The meat is highly toxic. Photo Credit: Kunito Seko
While the Taiji hunts are now officially closed, the hunters will be back in action on September 1st for a six-month-long drive hunt season, followed by two months in which pilot whales can be killed by harpoon or by drive hunts.
The killing and captures for captivity must end in Taiji.
Our thanks to Kunito Seko for photographing and reporting from Taiji.
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The International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute is in the forefront of efforts to end dolphin slaughters and captures for captivity of wild dolphins in Taiji, Japan, and in other places around the world where dolphins and whales suffer from human exploitation and killings. Your donation will help protect our friends, the whales and dolphins of the world. Please donate today! Thank you.
