Friends of the Dolphins

Canadian government must protect killer whale habitat

2012-02-10T19:19:00.002-05:00

The federal government is legally bound to protect killer whale critical habitat, the federal Court of Appeal ruled Thursday.

The precedent-setting ruling, which follows a federal court decision last April, could affect fishing and vessel traffic in the Strait of Georgia and Juan de Fuca Strait — critical habitat for endangered southern resident killer whales — and the Queen Charlotte Strait and Johnstone Strait — critical habitat for threatened northern resident killer whales.

"I think it has to affect it," said Margot Venton, staff lawyer for Ecojustice, which acted for a coalition of conservation groups, including the David Suzuki Foundation, Greenpeace, Wilderness Committee, Georgia Strait Alliance, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sierra Club and Dogwood Initiative.

Details, such as how much salmon is needed by whales, are likely to be worked out in resident killer whale recovery planning workshops being led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

"This is good news for all the endangered species in Canada," Venton said.

"This decision will clarify how government can proceed with all their recovery plans."

There are 90 endangered and threatened marine species listed under the Species at Risk Act and all depend on healthy habitats to survive, Venton said.

The Court of Appeal ordered the government to pay costs to Ecojustice.

Last year the federal court ruled in favour of Ecojustice and Judge James Russell criticized the behaviour of DFO saying the department behaved in an "evasive and obstructive way." He then awarded Ecojustice $80,000 in legal costs.

The court said all aspects of whale habitat must be protected, including food supply and quality of their marine environment.

However, DFO appealed the ruling and argued that there are discretionary provisions in the Fisheries Act for protecting critical habitat. Under the Species at Risk Act, critical habitat protection is mandatory.

"The original ruling and now the Court of Appeal's judgment have confirmed that the fate of killer whales should not be left to the discretion of politicians," Venton said.

"These whales must be protected by law.

"They need spaces to feed, breed and raise their young if their populations are going to survive and recover."

Venton said she was surprised by DFO's decision to appeal the original decision, especially after the judge said DFO hid behind procedural arguments and wasted "the court's time and judicial resources."

DFO spokeswoman Lara Sloan said the department is reviewing the decision and determining the next steps.

"The government of Canada continues to be committed to meeting its obligations under SARA," she said.

No figures are currently available to show how much the court case and appeal have cost the federal government, Sloan said.

Judith Lavoie, timescolonist.com
The Vancouver Sun, February 10, 2012
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Government+must+protect+killer+whale+habitat+court/6134639/story.html

What exactly were OSHA's findings in it's case versus SeaWorld?

2012-01-30T20:26:00.003-05:00

Killer whales, or orcas, do not harm people in the wild. Then what exactly happens when trainers die while interacting with these mammals in captivity? Experts weighed in; the general consensus being that captivity itself is the cause of these tragedies.

Read on: https://sites.google.com/site/voiceoftheorcas/home/the-current-story/whatexactlywereoshasfindingsinitscasevsseaworld

Voice of the Orcas

2012-01-28T09:51:00.005-05:00

Want to find truthful, unbiased information about the realities of captivity for orcas and other dolphins? Then I encourage you to visit Voice of the Orcas, a website devoted to providing a voice to those without. It's a place to archive interviews and current events that deal with conservation and activism. The admins at this site are professionals and former marine mammal trainers who share a common philosophy. They experienced a change of heart regarding the captivity of whales and dolphins at amusement parks. This site provides a space for constructive dialogue, multimedia presentations and more. Enjoy!

Voice of the Orcas

A Fall From Freedom is coming to a tv station near you!

2011-12-18T15:41:00.004-05:00

A shortened version of A Fall From Freedom is being distributed to all 325 PBS stations through a major PBS program provider, the National Education Telecommunication Association (NETA). The process is simple and has the potential to be very effective, but all of you can help in the process. Here is how it works:

EarthViews Productions (EVP) provides the program to NETA, who in turn, works with EVP to promote the film to all PBS station program managers, letting them know of the program with trailers, sample information, press releases, etc., to generate buzz and interest.

NETA then "uplinks" the program to satellite, providing all PBS program managers the ability to downlink it and play it as often as they want, free of charge. The key is to get program managers to take the show, and that is where all of you can help.

Attached is the PBS website link, listing all PBS stations across the United States. Once the program is ready for download, a phone call and email to your local PBS station asking them to broadcast the show will be of enormous help to the cause. From experience, phone calls and emails DO make the difference as to a program manager taking a show or not, so please assist as best as you can!

On behalf of the whales of the world, whose songs are sung so sweetly,

EarthViews Productions
http://earthviewsproductions.com/
http://afallfromfreedom.org/

Link to PBS member stations:
http://www.pbs.org/stationfinder/index.html

Crimes Against Nature - Morgan in Loro Parque

2011-12-03T19:48:00.006-05:00

Orcas and other whales are some of the most sentient species on the planet. THIS is what happens when these mammals are imprisoned against their will. A heart-wrenching video of Morgan, the orca who was rehabilitated and then senselessly shipped to Loro Parque, Spain instead of re-adapted to life in the wild.

Crimes against nature = crimes against humanity.

Watch here: Morgan in Loro Parque

All That Is

2011-11-26T09:32:00.003-05:00

The time is NOW to embrace that each of us is a part of
All That Is.

Marine Animal Rescue (MAR)

2011-11-17T15:04:00.004-05:00

If this was a photograph of a domestic animal wearing a collar, no one would notice. This is not the case. This photo is of a wild sea lion, with a deadly ring of plastic embedded in its neck.

Since 1984, Marine Animal Rescue (MAR), a program of Friends of Animals, has been serving as a primary responder for all distressed marine mammals and sea birds in Los Angeles County. Under the direction of Peter Wallerstein, MAR has come to the aid of entangled or beached whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions and sea birds. Their system of rescue and rehabilitation for marine mammals has become an international model.

Animals rescued by MAR are returned to their natural habitat when their injuries heal or good health is otherwise restored.

To make a contribution or learn more about MAR's work, please visit Friends of Animals/Marine Animal Rescue.

If every ONE does something...

2011-10-14T08:26:00.006-04:00

I have always believed that if every one does something, then EVERY THING gets covered. We can't be "all to everything," so to speak, however, we can - and should - exercise our individual abilities and talents to enact positive change. And a little sidebar: when we are living to our fullest and embodying the "highest and the best," then those around us will also benefit. Individual positive action creates collective GOOD. Let's get busy! :-) ~ Cara

A Fall From Freedom World Premiere

2011-09-13T12:54:00.000-04:00

A Fall From Freedom makes its world theatrical premiere at the Christopher B. Smith Film Center, San Rafael, CA on Sunday, September 25. Please visit www.cafilm.org to purchase tickets. All proceeds will benefit Earth Island Institute

A Prayer for the Dolphins

2011-09-01T07:40:00.003-04:00

“For as long as space endures,
And for as long as sentient beings remain,
Until then may I too abide,
To dispel the misery of the world.”
--- Shantideva (eighth century Indian teacher)

As many of you are aware, September 1 marks the first day of the Taiji dolphin slaughter.

Please check in with www.savejapandolphins.org for regular updates and learn what YOU can do to stop the slaughter!!!

A Fall From Freedom

2011-08-04T12:20:00.003-04:00

A Fall From Freedom explores the history of the whale and dolphin captivity business; exposes the relationship between the killing fishery “drives” of Japan and the aquarium industry that supports this practice and documents the abusive conditions these sentient mammals endure, in the name of entertainment.

Visually stunning scenery of wild dolphins and other whales is sharply contrasted with the brutal austerity of animals imprisoned in the sterile tanks of marine parks. One cannot help note the disparity between what is being said of marine mammals (i.e., “whales swim 50-100 miles a day in the open ocean”) with what is seen with the naked eye (an animal pacing back and forth in a stimulus-free tank full of chemically-treated water.)

Within these typical and repetitive dolphin and whale performances, their true teachings are lost. Families are split apart. Their curiosity and ingenuity stifled and repressed. With larger and more complex brains, and being incredibly socially bonded, no tank – no matter how large – can ever begin to replicate the natural and birth-given environment of these mammals.

One cannot wonder why a life sentence is casually imposed on these mammals? Whether it’s during a violent capture – where lives are lost – or in a tank, destined to live as caricatures of their wild cousins, life and death become synonymous.

Written, directed and produced by Stan Minasian, Executive Director/Senior Producer of EarthViews Productions, he brings to his films a thirty-year history of animal and nature issues research. Because his productions are geared solely towards public education and motivation, they are reliable sources of unbiased information, with enough “action items” to stimulate interested viewers to take further action.

For more information, please visit:

http://earthviewsproductions.com/

http://earthviewsproductions.com/odyseetv

Keiko: The Untold Story

2011-07-26T20:57:00.016-04:00

How well do you know Iceland's most famous whale? Keiko: The Untold Story sheds light on the process leading up to - and including - Keiko's return to the Icelandic waters of his birth. Beautifully shot and well-narrated, Keiko's journey is both physical and spiritual. In his own unique style, Keiko teaches us important lessons of courage and survival. This is a film you won't want to miss.

Screenings

Keiko's journey started as a two year-old in 1979, when he was forcibly removed from his family - a family often stayed with for life - and placed in a series of unnatural and highly stressful captive facilities. It was in Mexico, where Warner Brothers, while searching for a whale to fill the role of "Willy" found Keiko, and literally overnight, he became a star. Kids and adults alike wondered who this whale was, and how a WILD whale could have been "tamed" and "trained" to be such a wonderful actor.

When the truth finally surfaced; that Keiko was in fact a captive orca languishing - not thriving in a tank much too small in water dangerously warm, a movement emerged to save his life - to return him back to the world upon which "Willy" ultimately returned. A wild world, with natural sea currents, live fish and most importantly, the company of other orcas.

How would Keiko adapt? Would he remember how to be an orca, given his lack of experience in "growing up whale?" Would he be able to live in a natural world; one which required a certain skill set of tenacity and survival?

Keiko: The Untold Story explores the journey of a whale - an individual - given back the ability to make choices and decisions. In this harmony of intention and inspiration, we are reminded of the greatest gifts of living free.

Learn more

Wonder what goes on "underneath" the tarp during Taiji dolphin kills?

2011-01-24T09:26:00.006-05:00

On the ground volunteers, including Save Japan Dolphins volunteer and friend, Leah Lemieux has captured perhaps the most horrific footage of dolphins being slaughtered in "The Cove," Taiji, Japan. After the documentary of the same name won the academy award for best documentary picture last year, we were hopeful that worldwide pressure would collapse this brutal slaughter, but we were wrong. Now in 2011, new footage shows dolphins being literally tortured to death.

Taiji fishermen kill under the cover of tarps, to hide the disgrace and brutality of their actions. With the tarps lifted, the reality of one of the world's cruelest wars against nature is exposed.

Please visit www.huffingtonpost.com/ric-o/behind-the-tarp-video-of-_b_812874.html to read more and view the footage.

Please visit www.savejapandolphins.org to learn how YOU can help.

BIG Solomon Island Victory - No Dolphin Hunting For Two Years

2010-04-13T18:39:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Earth Island Institute - notably, EII Regional Director Lawrence Makili, EII Associate Director Mark Berman and Ric O’Barry - a deal was struck with the Fanalei and Walande communities in Malaita, Solomon Islands, to stop dolphin harvesting. As a gesture of reciprocity, EII will provide a tangible project for all households within the communities, making this a win-win for both environmentalists and conservationists worldwide as well as for the families of Malaita.

Our hope is that the people of Taiji, Japan will recognize the value of preserving their culture by allowing dolphins to live in harmony and freedom amongst the open waters while the residents themselves engage in mutually-beneficial activities.

With increased communication and cooperation, perhaps this major victory in the Solomon Islands will become a role-model for similar cultures. Congratulations once again to Earth Island Institute for all their hard work!

The Cove Wins an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature

2010-03-07T23:37:00.014-05:00

The Cove Wins an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature

The moment has come. We heard the words and now, we hear the call to ACTION.

Thank you, Ric, Louie and the rest of The Cove team for bringing this critical issue to light. Your WIN for Best Documentary Feature ensures that the crisis in Taiji will not go unnoticed; will not be forgotten and will finally be given worldwide recognition as an urgent issue which demands urgent resolution.

Visit SaveJapanDolphins.org to learn more.

The Cove Nominated for an Oscar!

2010-02-03T11:22:00.007-05:00

And the winner of the best documentary goes to.....

(the words we are all waiting to hear): The Cove!

On Sunday, March 7, The Cove will be "uncloaked" to approximately 1 billion viewers worldwide in the competition for Best Documentary. While this nomination is a testimony to the critical worldwide importance of the Taiji dolphin slaughter, it also serves to highlight the issue.

How can the Japanese Fisheries Agency and the Taiji dolphin killers continue to deny their barbaric practices when The Cove will be receiving international attention during the most prestigious awards show ever broadcast?

Let's take this opportunity to expose the Taiji dolphin slaughter and ride the wave of the Oscars. As the saying goes: "when it's hot, it's hot..." This issue is definitely hot and with all our help, we can STOP the 2010 slaughter once and for all!

Learn about the Taiji Dolphin Slaughter

Speak Up! Poisoned Dolphin Meat Should NOT Be On Japan's Shelves

2009-12-02T22:19:00.005-05:00

Japan has a new Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety, Ms. Mizuho Fukushima. At a press conference held in Tokyo, Ms. Fukushima agreed to investigate the mercury issue surrounding the contamination of whale and dolphin meat. There is hope that the Japanese public will finally be told the truth about poisonous dolphin meat, with an ultimate goal of these products being pulled from shelves in supermarkets and never again be served in schools and workplaces.

Please help our campaign by sending a message to Ms. Fukushima, supporting a TOTAL BAN on the sale and consumption of all dolphin products.

For your reference, here is a sample letter:

“Dear Ms. Mizuho Fukushima,

Scientific studies have demonstrated that dolphin and whale meat is highly toxic and not fit for human consumption, due to contamination from methylmercury, mercury, PCBs, and other poisons. Please prevent any further damage to the health of the Japanese people by banning the sale of dolphin and whale meat immediately.

Sincerely,

Your name and contact information.”

Letters can be sent to:

Minister of the Consumer Affairs Agency
Ms. Mizuho Fukushima
Sanno Park Tower
2-11-1 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Japan 100-6178
Fax: +81-3-3500-4640
Keiko Ueda, legislative Aide to Ms. Mizuho Fukushima, Member of the House of Councillors, Social Democratic Party
E-mail:ukgo@jca.apc.org

Dolphin Prisons

2009-09-02T20:35:00.006-04:00

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

2009-08-26T22:07:00.010-04:00

"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

2009-08-25T21:46:00.006-04:00

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

2009-07-27T18:16:00.026-04:00

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!

2009-01-04T15:37:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-21T16:02:00.012-04:00

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?

2008-03-27T21:40:00.005-04:00

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.

Memories, Both Old and New

2007-12-24T13:26:00.000-05:00

During this holiday season, we pause to remember all dolphins who have crossed our paths - both living and dead.

We stop to hold their memories close in our hearts, and look forward to a future of helping more animals in need, and learning more effective ways to communicate between species, in such a way that new relationships can be forged. Relationships where both species are free to make their own choices and set their own direction.

We pause to remember all people who dedicated their lives to making this world happier, safer and truly more "humane" - both living and dead.

We stop to gain a better understanding of their work, and find ways to emulate their positive actions in such ways that will contribute to a harmonious, smarter and more intuitive planet in 2008.

Go Green - SEA GREEN, That Is!

2007-06-01T13:05:00.000-04:00

Sadly, it's that time of the year again, when we are bombarded by advertisements of all sorts, promoting interaction with dolphins and whales. Whether it's watching a "high-diving" show; petting a "gentle" cetacean or worse, swimming with a "friendly" dolphin, there's no shortage of captive activities to drain one's financial resources.

Better suggestion: save some money and take the family whale-watching; dolphin-watching, or visit a museum and learn about the natural history/evolution of these magnificent mammals.

You might say, it's more convenient, less time-consuming and much less expensive to visit a marine theme park. However, it's also more convenient to throw one's trash out the window, dump a variety of recyclables into ordinary trash, or run gallons of water needlessly, while doing a small load of laundry.

Thinking of reciprocity, with every action creating a reaction, wouldn't it be an overall more satisfying and authentic experience to engage in an activity which both benefits the participant - as well as the "entertainment?" A trip to the ocean provides a hands-on educational experience, where one has the opportunity to learn of this environment in it's natural state. An excursion to a museum provides much-needed funding to the institution, while obtaining the ability to connect to one's natural history. Even renting a film on dolphins and whales teaches us not only about these wild and free-thinking individuals, but also, educates us on their habitats - AND - what actions we can take to create a healthier environment for both themselves and ourselves.

So the next time you see a commercial for a marine park, why not mute the volume, and think of a more beneficial way to spend your energy?

Not Your Ordinary Neck Size

2007-03-12T15:04:00.000-04:00

ALL ABOARD!

In response to an announcement by the U.S. Navy, stating that warm-water bottlenosed dolphins will be sent to the cold waters of Puget Sound to guard Navy interests, an initiative entitled Knitting For Dolphins was spun.

Though this sounds like a yarn, these ingenious ladies have been generating many threads of interest. Their plan is to highlight the absurdity of the recruitment of intelligent dolphins by knitting an assortment of sweaters, neck warmers and mittens for the marine mammals, specifically to "counter-effect" the frigid waters of the Pacific Northwest.

ACTION:

Please voice your concerns by contacting Knitting For Dolphins directly and help our cousins of the sea who, incidentally, don't have appropriate appendages to enable them to protest themselves.

Link: knittingfordolphins
email: dolphinknitters@gmail.com

Dolphins Being Slaughtered and Captured for Display

2007-01-19T21:07:00.001-05:00

This video contains graphic and disturbing images of dolphins in Taiji both being slaughtered, and captured for public display. Never have I been so disgusted at the captive swim/display industry as I have after watching this video. In fact, I was outraged. As you should be, too.

ACTION:
Go to: www.savejapandolphins.org and click on the Take Action link.

Whether it be sending a letter, a donation or something else, if EVERYBODY does SOMETHING, EVERYONE in their own way will HELP STOP THIS MADNESS!

And remember: each and every time you visit a captive display facility, you are SUPPORTING the brutal dolphin drive fishery in Taiji! Please don't visit your local (or destination) marine park, if they insist on keeping dolphins and whales in captivity.

Japanese Grocer Says NO To Dolphin Meat!

2007-01-08T22:22:00.001-05:00

GREAT NEWS FOR DOLPHINS FROM JAPAN

The Okuwa Supermarket has announced that a ban on selling dolphin meat is now PERMANENT!

In December, 2006, a package of striped dolphin meat was sent to an independent lab in Tokyo for mercury testing.

As a result of these tests, on December 26, 2006, the Okuwa Supermarket Corporation decided to ban the sale of all dolphin meat in their stores. They said they would need to conduct testing of their own to determine whether or not the ban was going to be permanent or temporary.

The supermarket chain and conglomerate, which is comprised of drug stores, movie theatres, home store centers, sports clubs, hotels and amusement facilities, reported in an e-mail message:

"We have decided, as a matter of company policy, that we will discontinue permanently the sale of dolphin meat regardless of test results currently being conducted by the company at an independent lab." The supermarket added: "Those test results will be concluded next week, but the results will not be revealed."

The SaveJapanDolphins coalition considers this recent development to be major progress in its efforts to stop the sale and export of Japanese dolphin meat. Follow-up work will now focus on getting other stores in Japan to follow the lead of the Okuwa Supermarket chain and ban dolphin meat from their shelves.

Wild Dolphin Video - The Dolphin Project

2006-12-13T22:12:00.001-05:00

Amidst all the chaos, I remind myself of the freedom and dignity all dolphins should be privy to. Enjoy this short video of dolphins in the wild from The Dolphin Project. Music by Fred Neil.

Friends of the Dolphins Condemns Continued Dolphin Slaughters

2006-11-12T20:09:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friends of the Dolphins condemns the continued dolphin slaughters in Taiji, and is calling for an immediate end to these barbaric hunts. Taiji is one of only two towns in Japan still conducting drive hunts. Over 2000 small whales and dolphins may be killed in Taiji’s hunts, which are typically conducted between October and April.

PHOTO: Un-retouched photo of fisherman spearing a live dolphin and hauling it aboard their boat. The water has turned to the blood of dead and dying dolphins.

After pods of dolphins are chased to exhaustion, they are rounded up by speedboats, disoriented by noise and herded into a bay or harbour. They are left, panicking for several hours prior to being slaughtered (often by means of stabbing) and/or selected by members of the aquarium industry to be put on public display.

Dolphins are self-aware, highly intelligent and complex animals. They face intense suffering during their capture and slaughter.

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT RIGHT NOW TO SEND THE FOLLOWING MESSAGES:

The Prime Minister of Japan
Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan:
Fax: +81-3-3581-3883

E-mail: http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment.html

Embassy of Japan in Washinton D.C.
Ambassador Ryozo Kato
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

Tell them that the brutality of Taiji's dolphin drive hunts must be immediately terminated. Tell them the world is watching and WILL NOT STAND for this abuse of dolphins. Remind them of the lucrative dolphin and whale-watching industry which harbours no cruelty, is educational and one fisherman can profit from.

Taiji Dolphin Slaughter Update

2006-11-05T18:49:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006 - The Japan Times Online

Dolphin kill dogged by mercury, activists

By BOYD HARNELL
Special to the Japan Times

Nearly every day since the first week in September, fishermen have been driving pods of dolphins into quiet coves near the village of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, to kill them for their meat, whatever the mercury content, or sell them to marine parks.

Photo: A net traps dolphins herded into a shallow holding cove Thursday near Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture. The spot is adjacent to the cove where the mammals were to be slaughtered the following daybreak. credit: BOYD HARNELL

Each year, between 2,000 and 3,000 dolphins are taken in Taiji, a little more than 10 percent of Japan's dolphin catch. Among the species killed there so far this season, which runs until March, have been bottlenose and risso dolphins.

Striped dolphins also have been killed in recent years, but it is not clear if any have been taken yet this season.

In the last two decades, an estimated 400,000 small cetaceans -- mostly porpoises -- have been killed off Japan, according to yearly hunting quota data from fishery co-ops.

Some of the dolphins are taken to be sold to dolphin or marine parks. Demand is high, especially in China and Taiwan, and one animal will fetch a small fortune. But most are taken for their meat, which ends up on store shelves across Japan.

Dolphin meat, however, contains dangerously high levels of mercury. The results of a study posted in 2003 on the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's Web site shows 6.6 micrograms of methyl mercury -- a highly toxic form of mercury -- per gram of meat in bottlenose dolphins. That level is 22 times greater than the government's provisional permitted concentration of 0.3 micrograms per gram of meat. Samples taken from other species of dolphin and whale meat also exceeded that level.

Photo: Animal rights activist Ric O'Barry, who once trained dolphins for the popular 1960s U.S. TV series "Flipper," holds up a package of dolphin meat at a supermarket here on Thursday credit: BOYD HARNELL

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is authorized to remove from store shelves any product with 1.0 microgram of mercury per gram or more, the health ministry only says that when mercury levels become too high, it is authorized to urge sellers of dolphin meat to voluntarily restrict trade.

The results of a joint study published last year by the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Daiichi College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the School of Biological Sciences in New Zealand are even worse. Their 2000-2003 study of the Japanese market found one sample of striped dolphin that had 26 micrograms of methyl mercury per gram of meat -- 87 times higher than the permitted level.

"The consumption of only 4 grams of this product would exceed the provisional tolerable weekly intake of M-Hg (methyl mercury) for someone of 60 kg body weight," the report says.

Tetsuya Endo, a Health Sciences University professor who coauthored the study, said methyl mercury is the form of mercury most likely to cause brain or nerve damage if eaten frequently.

"To be honest, I'm worried about people who eat too much of it," Endo said. "It's dangerous. There is a range in the concentrations (of mercury in meat) and averages may be low, but a consumer may have bad luck and get a high-density serving. Japanese people have their choice of food. Why eat something dangerous?"

But for people in places like Wakayama and Shizuoka prefectures, where dolphin is traditional fare, the question is "Why not eat dolphin?"

Supermarkets cut dolphin meat into 250-gram pieces, balancing the amount of fat, meat and skin in each chunk. The meat is sold in packages for about 170 yen per 100 grams. It is typically cooked in a miso-flavored stew with burdock, carrots and ginger.

A supermarket manager in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, who spoke on condition of anonymity sees no reason to stop selling dolphin.

"A couple of years ago, I heard something about mercury levels in dolphin meat being pretty high," the manager said. "But there haven't been any regulations or any ban from the government, and the parent store hasn't put any restrictions on selling dolphin meat. If it is really that dangerous, there probably wouldn't be any shipments in the first place. So I'm guessing it's OK."

Asked about this year's dolphin cull, an official at the Taiji Fishery Cooperative Union declined comment. The government maintains that for most of the population, the risk is low if dolphin meat is eaten in moderation.

The health ministry said that a 1995-2004 nationwide study on daily intake of methyl mercury showed the levels were safe, even for pregnant women, who are at risk of having children with birth defects if they ingest too much mercury.

However, last November, the health ministry's Pharmaceutical Affairs and Food Sanitation Council issued a statement saying it recognized study results showing that some fetuses' auditory responses were delayed in pregnant women who ingested mercury, and urged them to limit the dolphin meat in their diet, giving maximums for the different species. In the case of bottlenose, it is 10 grams per week.

Health concerns are not the only problem the Taiji kill has. The annual event has attracted bitter criticism from animal rights activists worldwide. Demonstrations against the hunt were held in 28 countries in late September.

At one hunting site last week in Taiji, activists watched as boats pursued several pods of bottlenose dolphins, slowly moving their crafts closer together, while crewmen banged poles against their boats to confuse the encircled dolphins.

Once herded into a holding cove and closed in with large nets, the dolphins swam in circles to protect the females and any young able to keep up. The young separated from the group were left to die of starvation or to be eaten by sharks.

The animals were left for one night in the cove so the stress-related hormones leave their bodies, making their meat more tender, and skiffs and longboats arrived at daybreak and herded the dolphins into an adjacent cove. There, a few were taken out to be sold to aquariums.

Then the longboat crews began to kill the dolphins. They cut the throats of the remaining dolphins or stabbed them randomly, a method animal rights activists call barbaric. Experts, including a former hunter, have said random stabbing results in excruciating death that can take as long as six minutes.

On Saturday, 128 bottlenose dolphins and 75 pilot whales were killed, according to Ric O'Barry, a marine mammal expert with One Voice, a French-based activist group.

O'Barry, who once trained dolphins for the 1960s U.S. television series "Flipper," was visibly upset and said so many animals were caught that some of them had to be taken straight to the killing cove because the holding cove was too small.

"This was the most barbaric slaughter I've seen this year," he said.

Staff writers Jun Hongo and Eric Prideaux contributed to this report

Taiji Dolphin Slaughter

2006-11-05T18:28:00.000-05:00

September 20, 2006 was Japan Dolphin Day
Local Japanese Consulates were protested, an unwavering message delivered that the world expresses ZERO TOLERANCE towards the senseless and cruel slaughter of dolphins.

And, although the protests have ended, the hideous drive fisheries which deliberately target thousands of innocent dolphins in an almost ritualistic slaughter continue.

Every day will be Japan Dolphin Day until the largest slaughter of dolphins in the world is ended. Therefore, we urge everyone to contact their local Japanese embassy or consulate office. For a complete list of locations, please visit Learn 4 Good

Happiness ISN'T SeaWorld (or Marineland or...)

2006-05-04T22:56:00.000-04:00

By now, likely you have been bombarded by media ads, advocating the attendance of a marine theme park. I urge you not to waste your precious dollars ...

First, the dolphin who you THINK you saw last year most likely has been replaced by a new captive, named the same name. This gives visitors the feeling that year after year, they come to see the same, happy animals, willfully entertaining a paying and adoring public.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Take DUKE, for instance. He lived a good portion of his life in a "warehouse," cut-off from fresh air and sunlight. Then there was Doobie, Skipper, Nemo ...the list is virtually endless. All these marine mammals share something in common: they were forcibly removed from the wild and prodded to perform in sterile tanks so that marine park owners can profit from their helplessness; their victimization.

They suffer in silence; they are replaced in secrecy.

Make an informed choice. Don't buy a ticket.

Toronto Taiji Dolphin Demo Well-Attended

2005-10-10T21:14:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who attended the Taiji Dolphin Demo, held on October 8 worldwide.

In Toronto, the demo was very well-attended, with approximately 125 people attending, picketing the Japanese Consulate on King Street, and marching to Dundas Square, in the heart of our downtown.

Now the real work begins, as the dolphin slaughter is well underway, and will be until the spring of 2006.

What You Can Do NOW - Important Message from Richard O'Barry
No, we didn't end the annual dolphin slaughter in one day, but we did plant some very important seeds. We sent the Japanese Government a loud and clear message: something is happening all around the world, and they know it. The Japanese Embassies and Consulate General Offices must report our protest to their Government in Tokyo. They now understand that there is serious, international opposition to the inhumane dolphin slaughter. Our work is all about exposing this brutal practice, and we did that in a big way on October 8th all around the world.

We can continue to keep the pressure on the decision makers in Tokyo by contacting our local Japanese representatives through phone and e-mail. That's a simple thing that anyone can do. These official complaints are recorded. Usually, e-mail complaints are answered, and they are always reported back to Tokyo.

Here's how simple it is: when the Japanese Consulate General Office in Miami opens for business this morning, I'll pick up the phone and file a formal complaint. I will also send an e-mail message -- a very short, to the point and polite message: tell the Japanese Government to stop the dolphin slaughter. Next to my computer is a yellow post-it-note with the phone number of the Consulate Office and their e-mail address. I will give this contact information to all of our supporters, friends and family in Miami who want to know what they can do to help abolish the dolphin slaughter. Our hope is that they will pass on the contact information to their friends and families.

If we all did this simple thing in our community, the Japanese Government would come to realize that Japan Dolphin Day was not just a fleeting moment. It was the start of an ongoing international campaign, and it is growing every day. Can you imagine the local Japanese representatives dealing with this every day? They will understand that we will not go away until the killing and captures are stopped.

You will find local Japanese representatives here: http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/mofaserv.html
We are all busy with other issues, and we have limited resources. We can't work on all of the issues all of the time. This is understandable. But consider how simple it is to keep a note on your desk with one phone number and an e-mail address. Pass this contact information around to others. It won't get you off-track of your normal workload. By doing this simple thing, we may be able to get a million people to contact their local Japanese Embassies. Thank you all for showing up on October 8th.
Ric - October 12, 2005

Please follow this link for further information, and how you can help STOP THE SLAUGHTER NOW!!!

http://www.eii.org/saveTaijiDolphins/

Thoughts amidst chaos

2005-09-07T21:29:00.000-04:00

Below is an excerpt from life coach Debbie Ford. It's simple and profound. As such, I thought it might be something to reflect upon, amidst the grief and chaos from the aftermath of Katrina.

Many people give so much to so many, already. Perhaps you're one of them. It may not be appropriate for you to do more than you already have done in this situation. But if you too feel that ache, keep looking. Maybe there is more to give - and in ways that may surprise you. There is a hero alive in each one of us. Heroes focus on what can be done rather than what wasn't done. Heroes take themselves out of their comfort zone in order to make someone else comfortable. Heroes open up their homes and their hearts to those in need. Heroes make sacrifices so that we can all grow and evolve. Today one small choice, one action, can make you someone else's hero.

Be there! October 8 demo protesting the Taiji Dolphin Slaughter - Toronto - details on previous post.

Message from Alan Cooper, Cetacea Defence, U.K.:

You can read many accounts in books of dolphins and their interactions with each other and with humans who have been touched by the privilege to meet dolphins in the wild, in their world. In the dolphins' world we are so very inadequate, even with our wetsuits and oxygen tanks. Their humour isn't often mentioned in these writings. Yet, they tolerate us and do exhibit humour in underlining our inferiority. That was my experience in many, many hours in their world.. it's beyond the scope of this blog to describe.

I was humbled to be allowed into this blue world. Their world.

I am sad, beyond words that can truly be described, how humans as a species, repay their benigness and tolerance. Whether with a knife or harpoon; with pollution and toxic chemicals; with a wall of death of fishing nets or with forcible captures for dolphin shows and marine parks - dolphins are repayed by making money for heartless, compassionless people who exploit peoples' natural desire to see such loved animals.

So I say do what you can to correct the injustices inflicted on the voiceless victims in this world and if you can join Cara and FOD on October the 8th .. do... if not now when, if not you, who?

Greetings, Alan
http://www.cetaceadefence.org/

October 8 Demo - Toronto - Japanese Consulate

2005-08-27T09:22:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends of all Dolphins,

Mark your calendars: October 8, 2005 marks the date of Japan Dolphin Day: End The Taiji Dolphin Slaughter. Help Stop the Largest and Cruelest Slaughter of Dolphins in the World.

" When I am going to kill dolphins, they shed tears and close their eyes. How is it possible for me to kill animals, that shed tears and close their eyes at the moment they are killed?"

source: Izumi Ishii, ex-dolphin hunter, now dolphin advocate

In the Japanese fishing village of Taiji, fishermen round up and slaughter hundreds and even thousands of dolphins each year. After driving pods of dolphins into shallow coves, the fishermen kill the dolphins, slashing their throats with knives or stabbing them with spears. Thrashing about, the dolphins take as long as six minutes to die. The water turns red with their blood and the air fills with their screams. This brutal massacre; the largest scale dolphin kill in the world; goes on for six months of every year. Even more shocking, the captive dolphin industry is an accomplice to the kill.

Join us on Saturday, October 8, 2005 at 12:00 noon, as we protest this brutal practice. We will start with a peaceful demonstration in front of the Japanese Embassy, 77 King Street West (TD Centre) in downtown Toronto, with a march following. Please bring a friend, remember, there is power in numbers. Send a powerful message to Japan: End The Taiji Dolphin Slaughter NOW!!!