Not again! Yet another drive hunt

Marna Olsen continues her reporting from Taiji, Japan

It was hard to believe, but again this morning hunting boats grouped together out by the horizon. Black smoke could be seen, which is an indicator of fast movement. Another drive hunt was happening.

The species hunted was Risso’s dolphins. The pod was very small, only 6-8 individuals. This was the 8th hunt of Risso’s since the beginning of the season on September 1st.

For a very short moment, when the boats had reached the coast, it looked like the pod actually would manage to escape. They were out of sight and had changed direction, but the swift moving boats quickly had the pod under control again. It didn’t take long before all dolphins had been driven in under the tarps where their lives ended. The whole process from drive formation to kill took about two hours.

It’s emotionally exhausting to witness three drive hunts within four days.