Save Japan Dolphins Day: Activists Unite for Taiji Dolphins (VIDEO)
More than three-dozen dolphin activists peacefully marched up and down South Grand Avenue in Los Angeles on Friday in protest of Japan’s annual dolphin hunting season, which begins on September 1.
The Los Angeles protesters, many of which were children and teenagers holding signs that read 'Please Stop Killing Dolphins' or 'Honk for Dolphins', were joined by thousands of their activist brethren in similar Save Japan Dolphins Day protests in 88 countries around the globe.
"What drives you to be so merciless to these intelligent creatures?" said 11-year-old Zach Callison of Los Angeles when asked what he'd say to the Taiji fishermen responsible for the killings.
As depicted in the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove starring activist Ric O'Barry, fishermen in Taiji, Japan spend about eight months of the year rounding up and slaughtering hundreds of dolphins. The captured dolphins are delivered to marine parks for entertainment purposes, while meat from the killed mammals go to supermarkets and restaurants in Japan.
Should Japan end its annual dolphin slaughter? If so, why? Tell us in the comments.
Related stories on TakePart:
• Taiji Dolphin Drive Hunt 2012: Follow the Tragedy on Twitter
• Taiji: The Captive Connection
• Cove 101: A Primer on Taiji, Japan's Senseless Dolphin Slaughter
An Angelino by way of Wilkes-Barre, PA, Sal holds a Political Science degree from George Washington University. Though he began his career in sports, he's written about all things environment since 2007. @SalCardoni | Email Sal | TakePart.com
