Over 50 people gathered together in front of the Japanese Consulate in downtown Vancouver, BC to protest the annual slaughter of dolphins in Taiji Cove, Japan.
It was a peaceful protest with supporters making signs on site, great camaraderie and a musical performance by Carol Cox.
The general public was receptive, taking brochures and waving and honking as they drove past. My personal calculation of honks is 300, and dozens of brochures distributed. Funds were collected to further the cause and organizer Karen made a petition poster to be sent to the Japanese Consulate that we all signed and encouraged passers by to sign as well.
Why do we protest dolphins being slaughtered for meat or culled and discarded? It is claimed they eat the fish in the cove so the fishermen have nothing left to catch. For them it's a generations-long tradition. However, dolphins are considered to have a similar intelligence to humans, with feelings and a complex system of communication. How can we kill such an advanced being when we are not starving? Is it right to leave baby dolphins without their mothers after the slaughter? Perhaps it's time these fishermen hung up their nets and joined the 21st century with new careers.
I encourage you to call or write your local Japanese Consulate to express your beliefs in the hopes that one day, Japan will ban this barbaric practice.
The film The Cove won best documentary at the Oscar Awards 2010 and first brought the dolphin's plight to the world.
After a successful demo we hope to have a fundraiser in November and plan on making this a bigger event in 2014. The more support we have the greater the dolphins will have a chance for survival at Taiji Cove, Japan.
