Posts Tagged ‘Dolphin hunts’
Understanding whale and dolphin hunts in the Faroe Islands – why change is not easy
Most people in my home country of the Faroe Islands would like to see an end to the kind of dolphin hunt that sparked an outcry in September last year. Yet a poll has shown that a staggering 83% are in favour of continuing the traditional grindadráp, the slaughter of pilot whales. This is not…
Read MoreFalse killer whale, Kina, dies at Sea Life Park
We’re very sad to share the news that Kina, the false killer whale held at Hawaii’s Sea Life Park, has died unexpectedly this week. An examination will be performed but the results will not be known for a few months. Kina was the last survivor of Japan’s drive hunts in the U.S. She was captured…
Read MoreNew report reveals 100,000 dolphins and small whales hunted every year
When you hear the words ‘dolphin hunts’ it’s likely that you think of Japan or the Faroe Islands. Although they are complicit in the deaths of many thousands of individuals, they are sadly and probably surprisingly, not the worst offenders. I knew that dolphins and small whales were being hunted in many countries all over…
Read MoreTaiji – another season of slaughter as marine park links grow stronger
Life as a small whale or dolphin can be precarious at the best of times, but off the coast of Japan they face a sinister threat – the fishermen of Taiji. If they’re caught up in the maelstrom of one of the infamous ‘drive hunts’ the outcome is unlikely to be a good one. They’ll…
Read MoreSwiss International Air Lines says NO to carrying dolphins
WDC’s ongoing campaign to persuade airlines who are members of the Star Alliance group not to transport dolphins around the world has seen more success with the confirmation from Swiss International Air Lines that their freight subsiduary, Swiss WorldCargo, is not involved in the practice. In a message confirming its position to WDC, the airline…
Read MoreMajor airline alliance not willing to help stop Japan’s dolphin slaughter
I’m sure you are as sickened as I am that every year from September to April, dolphins and small whales are still subjected to a bombardment of stress and cruelty in Taiji, Japan as they are hunted for meat or captured alive for display in zoos and aquaria. This annual bloodbath flies in the face…
Read MoreTaiji sets up cultural links with Faroese town
Taiji, the Japanese coastal town where the notorious dolphin drive hunts take place, announced on Wednesday that it has established cultural links with Klaksvik, the second largest town in the Faroe Islands. Those cultural links include the fact that Klaksvik is also a location where drive hunts take place, primarily targeting pilot whales. In a…
Read MoreMore whale and dolphin species to be hunted in Taiji, Japan
According to reports from Japan, two new species have been added to the list of those already allowed to be killed, and captured by fishermen in Taiji for use in captivity shows. The Japanese Fisheries Agency (JFA) has included rough-toothed dolphins and melon-headed whales to the nine other species already listed. Fishermen in Wakayama and…
Read MoreHundreds of dolphins captured in Taiji
A ‘superpod’ of around 300 dolphins has been captured by hunters in the cove near the infamous town of Taiji, Japan. Since their capture, the dolphins are being subject to a selection process by divers who will decide which dolphins should be sold to marine parks and those that will be slaughtered. The dolphins can fetch…
Read MoreDolphin drive hunts – hope or despair?
The terrible tally of dolphins killed or captured alive in this season’s drive hunts in Taiji, Japan is currently 402 slaughtered, 102 taken alive and 170 released, their fate unknown. Five different species have been captured or killed: bottlenose dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, short-finned pilot whales and striped dolphins. Many more are likely…
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