Dolphin hunts continue – please join WDCS in a worldwide demonstration, calling for an end to the capture and killing of dolphins in Japan

Boats surround and trap dolphins in the waters of Futo, Japan

Every year, up to 20,000 dolphins, porpoises and small whales, are killed in hunts that take place around the coastlines of Japan. These hunts are unsustainable, cruel and present a significant threat to both the welfare and conservation of the populations they target. They continue contrary to the repeated recommendation of bodies such as the International Whaling Commission and make a mockery of the Government of Japan’s claims that it pursues a policy of sustainable utilization of marine resources. Furthermore, the edible products of the dolphins taken in these hunts are often highly polluted with contaminants including mercury and PCBs, and can pose a risk to human consumers.

Bottlenose dolphin caught in a drive hunt in the Japanese town of Futo convulsing after having its throat cut.

Earlier this year, WDCS launched its campaign “Driven by Demand” to highlight drive hunts in Japan, in which large groups of dolphins or small whales are rounded up out at sea and herded into a bay or harbor using boats, where they are trapped, and surrounded by nets. There they are either killed by fishermen using knives or removed to the slaughterhouse. Drive hunts target up to 2,000 dolphins or small whales a year. Live dolphins are also taken in these hunts, for sale to aquaria and marine parks for display in their facilities. It is this aspect in particular, the involvement of the aquarium industry in the drive hunts in Japan, which is highlighted by WDCS’s Driven by Demand campaign, which includes a 40-page report on the subject supported by dramatic video footage. More information about WDCS’ Driven by Demand campaign can be found by clicking here.

For the third year in a row, WDCS will be joining many other animal welfare and conservation non-governmental organizations outside Japanese embassies around the world to peacefully protest against the continued hunting of these incredible animals in Japanese waters. We invite you to join us in this polite protest as well, at the Japanese embassy in Washington DC on 20th September 2006 between 12noon (EST) and 3pm (EST). The embassy can be found at 2520 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, DC., click on the link below for the map of the Embassy’s location –

Map of 2520 Massachusetts Ave Nw, Washington, DC 20008, US

There are also Japanese consulate offices in Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detriot, Haganta, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (OR) San Francisco, and Seattle. The location of each of these offices can be found at http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/mofaserv/html. Please send us your pictures if you protest at these offices and we will post them on the www.whales.org web-site.

Click here to send an email of protest to the Japanese Embassy in Washington D.C. or take the time to make a call or personally write a letter to post or FAX using the address and numbers below.

Ambassador Ryozo Kato
Embassy of Japan
2520 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: (202) 238-6700
Fax: (202) 328-2187

If you are not able to attend a protest in a nearby city, please contact the Japanese authorities responsible for overseeing this annual dolphin slaughter, or send an email to the Japanese media. According to our information, the Japanese public is not aware that these cruel dolphin slaughters are occurring, or that the international community is opposed to these hunts. It is the responsibility of the media in Japan to inform their citizenry of these atrocities. Let the Japanese media know that you support this campaign to end the drive hunts, and that you believe the Japanese people should know about these hunts, and the opposition of the international community.

Contacts of top 5 newspapers in Japan:

The Yomiuri: webmaster@yomiuri.co.jp
The Asahi: kouhou@mx.asahi-np.co.jp
The Mainichi: jikenjiko@mbx.mainichi.co.jp
The Sankei: opinion@sankei-net.co.jp
The Tokyo Shimbun: webmaster@tokyo-np.co.jp

Thank you very much for your support!

For further information please contact Courtney Vail on 1 480 678 7977 or by email at courtney.vail@wdcs.org.

Source: WDCS ©