Dolphin Prisons

Ric O'Barry described, during day 2 of his Taiji dolphin trip, the revulsion he experienced while visiting the Taiji Whaling Museum. Here, despite what the name implies, houses live captive dolphins, deprived of any stimulus, normal social contact and any semblance of a natural, living environment. It's a sterile, sonic hell, with dolphins floating listlessly on the surface. Says Ric: "It is easy to feel sympathy for the thousands of dolphins that have been butchered under the most barbaric conditions imaginable, but I wonder if they are not the lucky ones who died quickly, rather than be brutally ripped away from their families to die a lingering death in a small tank."

I wonder, what would I choose? A slow, agonizing death, or a barbaric demise, all at the hands of my "so-called" friends? After all, man and dolphin have shared an almost magical friendship for centuries. Now, dolphins have been pitted against the very species they repeatedly reach out to in goodwill. Just last week I read of yet another, documented incident of a dolphin pushing a surfer to the shore, and out of rough surf.

Is it truly their smile that has both created a love affair, and a hate fest? Do humans ultimately destroy all that is wonderful and good? How can we ever hope for redemption in the eyes of these sentient creatures, when we have done nothing to earn their trust and respect?

Until now...

We put our hope in Ric O'Barry, and the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition to END this madness, this year, this killing season. We can also take an active role to bring about the end of the Taiji dolphin slaughter. Take a moment to read the "Yoga For Dolphins" post. Visit Save Japan Dolphins and make a contribution to this campaign.

And so importantly, don't visit a dolphinarium.

Yoga For Dolphins

"If everyone does something, then every thing can be tended to, in some way." -- Cara Sands, Friends of the Dolphins

Yoga For Dolphins is a unique fundraising plan, created out of a desperate need - the need to abolish the annual dolphin slaughter at Taiji, Japan. It's very simple and basically works this way:

I am asking every practitioner/service provider I encounter during my day-to-day activities to forfeit all - or part - of their fees one time only, in order that this money be donated to Save Japan Dolphins. Whatever the amount is, that they agree to donate, I will still pay them this amount, as long as they agree to donate funds to the campaign. It's a win-win for everyone: I get the service I "paid" for and they get a tax receipt from the donation. It's a sharing of time and skill which can go a long way towards raising funds critical to this campaign.

Why Yoga? Well, aside from the fact that I teach yoga and meditation, as well as work as a communications consultant, "yoga" is a metaphor for union. In this case, it's a call to co-exist with all species of life, and not overstep one's boundaries at the expense of another. By participating in Yoga For Dolphins, we are learning how each of us can help the other, and how these actions and behaviors can have far-reaching, positive impacts.

During the month of September, I am personally donating 100% of my profits from teaching yoga to Save Japan Dolphins. I also encourage everyone who has some sort of service to offer, to do the same, in whatever way feels comfortable. Please tell your friends and colleagues about Yoga For Dolphins, and let's make this contagious -- in a healthy way!

Remember -- if everyone does something, every thing can be tended to, in some way.

Blessings,
Cara

Ric O'Barry Headed Back To Taiji

Ric O'Barry is headed back to Taiji, Japan, in a few, short days. And your help is CRITICAL if the brutal slaughter of dolphins is to end.

If you haven't yet seen The Cove, please go see this movie. If you are unable, or have already seen it - PLEASE - Ric O'Barry's campaign DESPERATELY needs support. If the barbaric slaughter of dolphins is going to END, it's going to be because of Ric's heroic efforts. And it's going to be because of YOUR support.

How You Can Help - Click here to be taken directly to a personal email from Ric O'Barry

Where The Cove Is Playing - Click here to go to The Cove's website

The Cove is Coming to a City Near You

Synopsis

The Cove begins in Taiji, Japan, where former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry has come to set things right after a long search for redemption. In the 1960s, it was O’Barry who captured and trained the 5 dolphins who played the title character in the international television sensation “Flipper.”

But his close relationship with those dolphins – the very dolphins who sparked a global fascination with trained sea mammals that continues to this day -- led O’Barry to a radical change of heart. One fateful day, a heartbroken Barry came to realize that these deeply

sensitive, highly intelligent and self-aware creatures so beautifully adapted to life in the open ocean must never be subjected to human captivity again. This mission has brought him to Taiji, a town that appears to be devoted to the wonders and mysteries of the sleek, playful dolphins and whales that swim off their coast.

But in a remote, glistening cove, surrounded by barbed wire and “Keep Out” signs, lies a dark reality. It is here, under cover of night, that the fishermen of Taiji, driven by a multi-billion dollar dolphin entertainment industry and an underhanded market for mercury-tainted dolphin meat, engage in an unseen hunt. The nature of what they do is so chilling -- and theconsequences are so dangerous to human health -- they will go to great lengths to halt anyone from seeing it.

Undeterred, O’Barry joins forces with filmmaker Louis Psihoyos and the Oceanic Preservation Society to get to the truth of what’s really going on in the cove and why it matters to everyone in the world. With the local Chief of Police hot on their trail and strong-arm fishermen keeping tabs on them, they will recruit an “Ocean's Eleven”-style team of underwater sound and camera experts, special effects artists, marine explorers, adrenaline junkies and world-class free divers who will carry out an undercover operation to photograph the off-limits cove, while playing a cloak-and-dagger game with those who would have them jailed. The result is a provocative mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure and arresting imagery that adds up to an urgent plea for hope.

The Cove is directed by Louie Psihoyos and produced by Paula DuPre Pesman and Fisher

Stevens. The film is written by Mark Monroe. The executive producer is Jim Clark and the co-producer is Olivia Ahnemann.

See The Cove - discover when The Cove is in a theatre near you

Take Action - read a note from Ric O'Barry, Campaign Director for SaveJapanDolphins.org

We Can Do It! We Are Doing It!

Well, it's 2009, and more than ever, I feel we have truly entered new territory; are standing upon new ground; and face a plethora of innovate and invigorating opportunity. I have also come to realize that it is WE who are holding present consciousness; participating in our actions and are generating change - both positive and negative. Like droplets of water gaining momentum to create waves, our very presence on this planet influences it's evolution, micro-second by micro-second.

So, without further ado, let's start NOW to create positive change:

LET'S lead by example
BE our vision
RECOGNIZE this is already happening

If everyone does something, then everything gets tended to, so let's get busy and create a powerful, positive and memorable 2009!

Save Japan Dolphins on September 3, 2008

The following is a summary from savejapandolphins.org:

On Japan Dolphin Day - September 3, 2008, many international Japanese embassies and consulate offices will be vigorously protested. A request will be made to 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. A warning label, stating that dolphin meat may be contaminated with mercury, methyl-mercury and PCBs, may save the dolphins, and it may save the people who eat them.

Take Action Now

Send a message to the Japanese Prime Minister, urging him to stop the dolphin drive hunt and prohibit the sale of mercury-contaminated dolphin meat:

The Prime Minister of Japan
Mr. Yasuo Fukuda, Prime Minister of Japan:
Fax: +81-3-3581-3883
e-mail: http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment.html

Send a copy of your letter to:

Embassy of Japan in Washington D.C.
Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki
2520 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington D.C. 20008-2869
Tel: (202) 238-6700,
Fax: 202-328-2187
Hours: M-F 9:15-12:30 and 2:00-6:16
e-mail: jicc@embjapan.org
http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp

Send a letter to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), urging them to enforce their Code of Ethics and expel the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA) from their organization.

Furthermore, WAZA must expel all other facilities that have purchased dolphins from the dolphin drive hunts:

WAZA Executive Director, Gerald Dick

Email: gerald-dick@waza.org

What Can We Do For Dolphins This Fall?

As summer graciously departs, making way for autumn temperatures, so does the aquarium industry's grip on our tourist and recreation dollars. For myself, fall also signifies a time I can return to my television, without being inundated with ads promoting captive dolphin displays.

With our planet showing more and more signs of fragility, wouldn't our time be better spent in some volunteer capacity, protecting and preserving natural spaces and species? In the case of dolphins and whales, extracting these freedom-loving creatures and relegating them to a life of stagnation and sterility is worse than death.