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Whale Wars Heating Up In Antarctica

The dolphin drive hunt in Taiji has finally come to an end for 2012-2013 season, however Japan is unfortunately still on their quest of killing whales. The war currently being played out in Antarctica has the Japanese attempting to harpoon and kill whales in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary under the guise of “research” and for commercial purpose.

Sea Shepherd volunteers are currently risking their lives for the whales, as can be seen in the following video.

It is alarming that the Japanese whalers will go to such lengths in their attempt to continue whaling in Antarctica. This is simply a display of no regard for the safety of other human beings. I have watched every season of Whale Wars and am still astonished at what is currently happening! It is highly reminiscent of when the Japanese whalers intentionally ran over and ending up sinking the Ady Gil. You can see in the following video how the Japanese vessel intentionally turns into the Ady Gil, thankfully no one was injured.

The Nisshin Maru repeatedly ramming all Sea Shepherd vessels is an immediate cause for concern especially for the many courageous volunteers aboard all Sea Shepherd vessels currently putting their live on the line to save whales! Thankfully everyone is currently safe and no injuries have been reported.

The following photos courtesy of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on Facebook, show just how close the Nisshin Maru comes to and then collides with the Bob Barker.

 

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Via Sea Shepherd New Zealand Zero Tolerance Update. “All attempts by the Nisshin Maru to refuel yesterday failed. The Sea Shepherd ships held their ground. All attempts to kill whales yesterday failed thanks to our inflatable crews intervening. No refuelling or whaling today because it is extremely bad weather, freezing sleet, high winds, heavy seas. Good for us, bad for them. We love bad weather down here and thankfully there is a lot of it and it will become worse each day until the conditions force the poachers from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary by the Ides of March. The Japanese Defence Force ship Shirase is keeping their distance. The Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker continue to tail the Nisshin Maru and the Sam Simon continues to tail the tanker Sun Laurel. The Shonan Maru and the three killer boats are scattered about, everybody just wasting fuel and going nowhere which works for us. As intense and as tough as this campaign has become, it is also the most effective season we have ever undertaken. Last year they took 26% of their kill quota. The year before that they took only 17% of their kill quota and this year it will be much lower than 17%. These poachers are going to have a very light load to take back to Japan and their efforts will be once again – a financial disaster”

For the whales!

 

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The End … of 2012-2013 Taiji Dolphin Hunt!

It’s OFFICIAL … the slaughter season Sept 1, 2012 to February 25, 2013 is finally over! And what a relief that it has finally come to an end, as reported by the Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians currently on the ground in Taiji.

The killers take down “death door” of the Taiji butcher house, where hundreds of dolphins and pilot whale bodies were dragged through and then dismantled for human consumption.

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Photo credit SSCS Cove Guardians

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Photo credit SSCS Cove Guardians

Then then the clean up inside begins … washing away blood, that was still present on the kill floor.

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Photo credit SSCS Cove Guardians

While the dolphin drive season has ended, the killing unfortunately does continue year round. Some boats, such as the one seen below are dry docked and maintenanced. The dolphin killers remove the banger poles but leave them inside the boat to use during the off season. The killing boats are permitted to hunt pilot whales until May and also assist local fisherman with harpooning dolphins during the offseason.

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Photo credit SSCS Cove Guardians

Even though the 2012-2013 hunt season has officially come to an end … I will not be able to forget the many dolphins taken captive this season who are deemed to live out their lives in a small pool performing tricks for survival, food and most of all … Human Entertainment.

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Photo credit SSCS Cove Guardians

Now only one net remains at the cove and this is the view a tourist would see from the view. What a beautiful place this could be if it were not for the thousands of dolphins inhumanely slaughtered here each and every year.

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Photo credit SSCS Cove Guardians

In the summer months, the infamous cove is filled with people. How someone would be able to swim in the waters of this dark ominous place baffles me. Perhaps it is because they unaware of what occurs here each year between September and March, but then again maybe they are aware? I’ll leave that debate up to all of you.

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What is also heartbreaking is that there is often a captive dolphin taken to the cove. This unfortunate dolphin has to return to the place where it’s life was forever changed after witnessing the slaughter of the majority of it’s podmates and then being torn from a life of freedom in the wide open ocean.

Perhaps it appears that people are having a good time, but really, look at that Risso dolphin … terrified and alone surrounded by unfamiliar people in an all too familiar place that represents the horror of Taiji!

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“Confining marine animals to tanks and separating them from their families and their natural surroundings, just so people can watch them swim in endless circles, teaches us far more about humans than it does about animals – and the lesson is not a flattering one” Pamela Anderson

For the dolphins!

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Dolphin Surfing

This is an absolutely incredible video!! What an amazing experience this would have been!!

Dolphin Surfing in the Sea of Cortez with the crew from Pro-Windsurf La Ventana.

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Taiji Action Day for Dolphins 2013 – Online Protest

Given the fact that I live in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada I unfortunately do not have the opportunity to attend in person one the many Global Taiji Action Days coming up on February 22, 2013.  Call of the Cove tweeted yesterday that there be would an online protest to participate and I was thrilled to have the chance to be involved with this day!

If you are unable to attend one of the many world wide Global Taiji Action Days then I suggest you check out Taiji Action Day for Dolphins 2013 Online Protest on Facebook. All the information is there on what to do and it is fairly simple and easy!

Mention it to your co-workers or friends … who knows they might just be willing to join in and take a stand for the dolphins of Taiji! All I had to do was mention it at work and was pleasantly surprised with how many people did not hesitate to participate!

For the Dolphins!!

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While most people might have spent their Sunday evening watching the Grammy’s, the horrors of the Taiji dolphin killers once again wreaked havoc within the infamous cove. A pod of 100-110 striped dolphins was netted into the killing cove after being driven for over two hours.

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As you can see here, the family of striped dolphins was divided within the cove and then slaughtered one by one in front of each other.

The killers hammer a metal rod into the blowhole, which paralyzes the dolphin but does not kill them. They then slowly die by lying on the shore suffocating or drowned by having their flukes tied with rope and then dragged by skiff to the Taiji butcher house. This is clearly a slow. painful and  inhumane way to die.

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About 80-90 striped dolphins were slaughtered yesterday in the Taiji killing cove, while the remaining pod was forced to swim in their families blood and held for several hours before being driven back out to sea.

Those pod members who did not suffer an unfortunate and inhumane death in the cove, will have a slim chance of survival now. After the stress and exhaustion of the drive into the cove itself and having witnessed the majority of their podmates being slaughtered, the chances of survival for the remaining 20 striped dolphins is very little.

This is just one day out of the hunt season and there are simply no words that come to mind to describe the horror these innocent beings went through today. The cruelty and hatred shown by the killers to these beautiful dolphins is beyond anything that can be put into words. The fact is that this is the horror of Taiji and it is not about culture or tradition, it’s simply about profit and greed!

I can only imagine what it is like to witness these atrocities and have the utmost respect and gratitude for the Cove Guardians currently on the front lines in Taiji!

All photos from Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians

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Thought for the day

Thought for the day

The killing boats have left Taiji harbor, single manned and the remaining killers in dive suits are prepping skiffs at Fishermans Union for transfers of captive dolphins … please remember this quote.

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