Secret film will show slaughter to the world: Covert operation exposes Taiji's annual dolphin horror

[Barrett808]

Source: The Japan Times

Secret film will show slaughter to the world
Covert operation finally exposes Taiji's annual dolphin horror
By BOYD HARNELL
Special to The Japan Times

For the first time ever, graphic feature-length footage of the annual slaughter of some 2,500 dolphins in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, has been captured during a unique yearlong covert operation.

The secret filming by members of the U.S. conservation group Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS) — equipped with state-of-the-art technology and financed to the tune of $5 million by Netscape founder Jim Clark — is being turned into a major documentary feature film destined for worldwide release this summer (although distribution in Japan is at present not certain).

The story of how this film of the barbaric killing and subsequent butchering of dolphins was made — together with the resulting sale of their meat that massively exceeds Japanese and international limits for mercury content — is told here, exclusively, for the first time anywhere in print.

The footage of the annual seven-month dolphin "drive fisheries" (as they are known in Japan), and of the brutal practices involved in them — as well as the complicity in the killings by various dolphin trainers and officials from Taiji Whale Museum — is sure to shock the world. But whether Japanese people themselves will be able to see the film and arrive at their own conclusions is still by no means certain.

Read more: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20080330x1.html

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Graphic photos at link.

Ocean Preservation Society: http://www.opsociety.org

[yurbud]

1. I saw a video of dolphin killing. I thought it would be about as bad as harp seal clubbing, but

it was much, much, more brutal.

They have to cut halfway through their bodies to slit their ''throats'' and you can see them thrashing around as they bleed out.

I've seen dolphins up close in the wilds of Alaska, and they are too intelligent to treat like this.

[Omaha Steve]

2. I saw it too

Karma will not be kind to any of these animal killers. Yes I eat meat. But I know where most of mine comes from. Even in our dog food, we can trace it. It is not the brutal violence we see in these films.

http://www.petpromiseinc.com/about_partners.htm

[yurbud]

3. and I prefer to eat things a little further down the foodchain not something that could

theoretically communicate with me.

[heliarc]

6. I'm sorry, but the logic seems silly to me.

Why would you accept cruelty committed on less intelligent animals and disapprove of that same cruelty committed on the more intelligent animals? Would you also agree that someone's intelligence should govern the amount of pain and suffering a human being should suffer in their lifetime? Or would you rather that all people intelligent or otherwise be treated with love and respect equally under law and practice?

In my opinion the methods here are what I argue against. It seems that killing these dolphins is terribly cruel and does not in any way take into consideration the animal's level of comfort or emotions the way that many modern abattoirs require for the killing of cattle. Practice is different, as we've seen from the recent discoveries about the treatment of downer cows who go under reported, but modern techniques take into consideration the comfort level of beef slaughter and the instantaneous killing of cattle. For more on this rare problem of compassionate slaughter, might I suggest www.templegrandin.com. Temple Grandin is a noted Autist who has designed many of the slaughterhouses in the country, and her techniques were developed largely to calm and ease an animal bound for slaughter, controversially bridging the conflict between efficiency and simple compassion for an animal who is domesticated for consumption.

Too often on DU I see this argument take the route of racism as respondents start to chastise the Japanese without realizing that there are industries just as cruel here in the states, that either perform similar or worse forms of animal cruelty. http://current.com/items/88847434_where_s_the_bad_beef Let me present this document of current brutalities here at home before this argument leads down that path... We are currently in a state of recall for beef produced in a number of California farms due to the introduction of downer cows into the food supply. A downer cow is one who cannot get up, either because of illness or because of genetic problems. Since the law states that downers should not be introduced into the food supply, farmers perform very desperate measures to get these cows to get up... Forklifts, prods and brands are used. These animals are supposed to be euthanized humanely, but in the effort to not endure losses farmers try anything to introduce then into the food supply.

And might I add that anything theoretically can communicate with you... I know people who swear that their dogs communicate with them... also that their cows do, or their cats even (though I still think the domesticated cat is below shrimp on the intelligence chain... can you tell I'm not a cat fan?)...

Squid communicate with phosphorescent light and travel in herds...,

So just because you can't communicate with it, you're willing to eat it?

I guess you think I'm a vegetarian... I'm not. I am a carnivore myself and I'm also an amateur chef. I just prefer that the animal that we as predatory creatures are destined to consume be respected in every regard. I often believe that the dinner table is a temple and that the animals we consume have been sacrificed for our health and for the greater cycle of living things. The problem with our species is that the division of labour has detached us from the very practice of butchery and taken this monumentally significant sacrifice that animals make for our health and survival out of the very stale and banal practice of eating. Nowhere in the states are meats produced in mass quantities with a real appreciation for the entirety of the animal... appreciating tripe as much as sweetbreads, as much as a cut of loin. There is a terrible environmental problem in this psychology we've created that forgets so effectively the true face of what we eat.

[yurbud]

8. I saw Temple Grandin on some TV news show. She was very impressive

[KamaAina]

22. I once co-presented with her at an autism conference in Conn.

Impressive, indeed.

Dolphins make a brief appearance in her latest book, "Animals in Translation". Her thesis is that animals, including dolphins, communicate in ways that are hard for "neurotypical" humans (i.e. those that don't have autism) to grasp.

[flvegan]

12. "Predatory creatures"!!!! rofl Good one!

[LeftyMom]

14. Don't lie. I've seen you stalk down the aisles of the supermarket and pounce on

a six pack of beer.

It's fucking scary, I tell ya.

[heliarc]

19. That's funny

I didn't know we had to give up eating meat or hunting it, just because we have supermarkets and aren't aborigines hunting it down in the outback. I think its a good idea to temper our hunting instincts to benefit society, but that doesn't change the fact that most tribal human cultures are carnivorous and hunt for food until they develop domestication practices which include slaughtering animals for a source of protein. Doesn't seem too farfetched to me, unless you think that Supermarkets are entirely a part of the natural world. Looks like the reified commodification of the capitalist system has totally convinced you that you need Nabisco, General Mills and Coors to survive.

[heliarc]

18. I don't know what's so funny.

Our vision is limited in periphery just like most other predators, and in case you haven't noticed, there is quite a big population in this country who hunt, fish and enjoy such activities. Ironies of the technological advancement of the thing aside (No one needs an Uzi to kill a deer, or a power harpoon to spear a fish) hunting is second nature to a large subset of the world's population (including people in tribal cultures).

[BearSquirrel2]

15. What separates an animal from a biological machine ????

What separates and animal or a plant from a biological machine. The answer is the level of consciousness and self awareness they possess.

Animals that are social with people are a big no no as far as I'm concerned. Cows and chickens really dumb. Chickens are especially dumb. There isn't much there to an animal that can run when it's head is severed. I really don't even care about how they cut off their beaks.

Regardless of the animal in question. I do think we have to preserve our own humanity. The quality of life the animal has should be comparable to that expected in the wild. Cows are eating machines, so that's not hard. When culling comes, it should be stress free and BOOM, it's over. On a long enough timeline they were all going to die anyway. When the cow got arthritis, the PETA people would be arguing for euthanasia.

BTW, I'm really shaky about Pork. Pigs are pretty darn smart. Though the Frankensteins they are breeding for meat farms aren't that bright for pigs.

[heliarc]

17. Unfortunately, its proven that the very act of domestication...

transforms a lot of animals into the "biological machines" that you talk about... evolution strips them of "life skills" if you will, as they depend more us for their survival. Again. I still don't understand this consideration of intelligence with regards to what you will and will not eat. It doesn't make any sense at all. If their life is fruitful and comfortable, I don't see the difference between killing the Pig or killing the Cow... Temple Grandin claims to communicate with Cows as well... on a basic level to soothe them and comfort them... Why does intelligence enter into the picture. There are Buddhist monks who fast because they claim plant matter feels pain too. So you can draw the line anywhere.

Also, I think that the more intelligent an animal is (humans) the more rationalization enters into pain management... for example people who use pain (granted of their own volition) for sensual, spiritual, or sexual fulfillment. Do we favor the slaughter of more intelligent animals cause of the greater chance of them being masochistic? I think that logic is equally silly as favoring the slaughter of the supposedly less intelligent animals. Most animals, including cows are capable of recognizing their masters or responding to kind or nurturing treatment, showing fear, etc. Why does intelligence of any greater level factored into the equation?

Also, with regards to pigs... Maiale and Cinghale are both delicious varieties. Perhaps the Maiale is intelligent enough to appreciate when bred in humane conditions and able to reproduce and rear a litter that it is appreciated for being a Maiale and not a Cinghale. Don't we owe them more respect at least if we are to consume them...

[heliarc]

4. I still don't understand why intelligence is a metric

for allowable cruelty. I tend to think Pain should be the metric. Do you also agree that somehow stupid people deserve to feel more pain and suffering over the course of their lifetime?

this seems to be one of the great logical blunders of even informed carnivores as to the reasoning behind slaughter for consumption. Are you really sure that observed intelligence is why you would be against cruel treatment, or do you prefer that all animals of any intelligence level be treated humanely and with a concern for their comfort and well-being?

[yurbud]

9. I wouldn't allow cruelty, but for killing at all. Consider when we allow doctors to pull the plug

when your higher brain function is gone. Likewise, if someone has a brain stem baby born without the higher brain functions, we don't consider that human.

[Solon]

13. Personally I think yurbud's reasoning is quite dangerous...

using intelligence as a metric for cruelty isn't sufficient. We know, for a fact, that most vertebrate animals, even some invertebrates, feel pain. As such, when we deem it necessary to consume such animals for food, it is in the best interest of ourselves and the animals to make sure they are killed in as humane a manner as possible. There is a balance that must be achieved here, being the top predator on the planet doesn't mean we should live out our sociopathic urges on animals, all it means is that we eat meat, sometimes.

Personally I believe that we should leave as light a foot print as possible on the world, and not take from it more than it can itself produce. This means self restraint and conservation. This dolphin slaughter serves no purpose that anyone would deem necessary, it has little to do with how intelligent dolphins are, it has to do with whether it is needed, for something beyond "cultural" practice. Its similar to a kid frying ants with a magnifying glass, its stupid, cruel, and serves no constructive purpose, and should be stopped.

[heliarc]

20. Indeed.

Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I too find it worrisome that I see so many comments like yurbud's on this issue.

There's also a deep racism in commentary like this. I've seen the argument used time and time again to blame the Japanese for cruelty that we can see in our own system of food production too... In this case it is our misunderstanding of the Japanese diet that seems to also enforce this. Besides eating dolphin meat (which I think is rare after living in Japan for a while... but I'm no expert) the Dolphin is seen as a competitor for food in the Japanese culture. They depend on a steady supply of fish for their food supply and Dolphins quite simply are the coyote or wolf who will kill all the chickens on your farm.... Whether they are CORRECTLY viewed that way or not is entirely another question that is of course very important to ask and determine to avoid tragic disregard for the species and the ecosystem at large. Certainly cruelty should never be excused, but I wonder if you could make an argument to a farmer in the US that he has to resist killing a natural predator who is killing his flock.

[Solon]

25. I think that comparison falls apart rather quickly...

No one owns those schools of fish out in the oceans and seas, and no matter how many dolphins are out there eating fish, they barely make a dent in the fish supply compared to humans. The humans didn't RAISE the fish, nor did they spend money seeding the seas with fish either. What we see instead is an example of projection, humans overfish the seas, depleting the fish supplies, and then turn around and blame that on the dolphins.

Of course, the actual meat of dolphins and whales seems to be out of vogue in much of Japan, hell, most of the Japanese people oppose "scientific whaling" and I don't think many would support this dolphin slaughter either.

Besides, contrast the way these fisherman in Japan deal with the "dolphin problem" with, let's say, fisherman in Brazil. In many coastal villages in Brazil, you'll see fisherman stand knee deep in the water at the crack of dawn, with nets in hand, ready to cast them out into the water. They are waiting for the signal to cast their nets, which occurs when they see dolphins jump into the air just offshore in a spiraling pattern. The pod of dolphins herded a school of fish near the shore, trapping them between the humans and the dolphins. The humans then cast their nets, and any fish that escape those nets, as the school breaks up, are then eaten by the dolphins. This is called a symbiotic relationship in nature.

[heliarc]

26. I agree that the argument falls apart.

But I do believe that this is how some Japanese see the Dolphin "problem." I think you should try traveling to Japan and telling them how to fish. Unfortunately they don't always take kindly to strangers telling them what to do.

That and Dolphins and humans don't always achieve symbiosis where nets are concerned.

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/dolphins-die-in-trawler-nets

[barb162]

28. Oh, jeez, that's so terrible, so brutal, so totally senseless.

WTF is wrong with people?

[1776Forever]

5. This literally hurts me - I shiver when I read something like this - Dolphins to me are psychic....

http://skepdic.com/dat.html

.....dolphins emit healing energy vibrations. Rosemary Angelis, a Psychic Artist and Vibrational Energy Facilitator, claims she can channel dolphin energy and that if one places a palm over a picture of a dolphin that she's drawn one can "receive the sensation of their loving healing energies." This method would at least avoid the cruelty of capturing and tanking dolphins for human purposes.

Another speculation is that the ultrasound from the echolocation clicks of dolphins does the healing by stimulating the endocrine system. Birch and Cole showed that subjects’ brain waves change significantly in frequency and amplitude after swimming with dolphins compared to the measurements before the swimming. There were no changes in the control group that swam without dolphins.

............

We, humans, have to remember that there are other higher beings on this earth then ourselves. Will we ever learn this?

[LeftyMom]

11. Oh my.

I don't think you looked real close at your link. It's to the skeptic's dictionary. It says that dolphin therapy is (at best) of no proven benefit.

Dolphins aren't psychic. There's not the slightest bit of evidence that anything or anybody is. Dolphins echolocate, which gives them the pretty cool ability to sense some internal processes of other animals in the water, but that doesn't make them psychic any more than bats are.

They're not especially innocent, either. They're impressive predators, they compete violently with each other, there are plenty of reports of smaller species being killed (but not eaten, it appears to be play) by larger species, and of course the largest dolphins, the orca, specialize in predating other marine mammals.

Of course, they shouldn't be hurt or killed by humans, but I'd like to keep the arguments for leaving them be grounded in reality.

[1776Forever]

24. What is one person perspective is not always as some others may be. I respect your views - I ask

you to respect mine. Some of us are born with a natural affinity to the higher levels of minds both human and animal. I don't think you can know what I feel so I won't go on. I would think being a Democrat would allow you to be more open minded.

[BearSquirrel2]

16. If you're making a case againt Dolphin Harvest ...

If you're making a case against Dolphin Harvestation, don't claim the existence of supernatural powers. All you're doing is creating a new religion.

Dolphins are intelligent/social pack animals. BTW, they're also predators. Intelligence tends to run in predators. In any case, like dogs, they share a lot of social patterns with humans and so they're able to pick up on our mental states. Dogs do the same thing.

It's not psychic. They're just good observers. Considering they typically do it with one eye, they astounding observers.

As for "healing energy", you sound like some old Chinese mystic talking about Chi Energy. That's BS. There are all kinds of therapy animals. Any therapy lowers the stress level and help the body produce it's own healing agents. Aroma/Horse/Dolphin/Massage all of these things do the SAME THING. It's borderline placebo but that's OK.

[1776Forever]

23. Think what you wish - some of us have the ability to "read" things that some cannot

It isn't a religion, it is a feeling that cannot be expressed to someone who is analytical. I don't blame you for your beliefs but would hope that you can respect mine. This is something that comes down through my ancestry and I didn't "ask" for it, it is what it is.

[BearSquirrel2]

27. It has a name ...

It has a name, it's called a delusion. James Randi has $1 million waiting for you if you can do what you say you can. EVERY psychic ever tested experience a loss in their "powers" once they are subjective to objective testing scenarios.

Go bend spoons.

[Number9Dream]

7. Need to get protests from within Japan

snip> "But whether Japanese people themselves will be able to see the film and arrive at their own conclusions is still by no means certain."

Will the Japanese govt ban the showing of this film within Japan?

We need to have a large outcry from within Japan in order to end all marine mammal slaughter.

[Vidar]

10. If any of the Moslem leaders want to declare "fatwah" (sp?) against

these dolphin killers, they'll have my complete support. Animals, unlike human beings, are usually innocent.

[heliarc]

21. In stark contrast to your comment...

I don't want Muslim leaders to declare a fatwah on anybody. I agree that we are only qualified to determine our own innocence or guilt, but we should also understand that Dolphins, like most intelligent beings are not quite as innocent as they may seem. They are smart enough to be feared predators in their own habitat, and also smart enough to "play" --probably with some level of cruelty-- with their food; Food that is undoubtedly fish and sea creatures of varied intelligence (Squid are considered significantly intelligent and communicative). And the Japanese see these Dolphins for what they are -- predators who make their way into their treasured food supply and possibly threaten fisheries and coastal fish populations which the Japanese would normally eat. Whether or not they are correct in killing the Dolphins or effect any result to protect their own food supply is another question and shouldn't require the intervention of Islamic extremists to police the situation or determine ecological effects.

Certainly we should voice our dismay at the practice which is cruel, but I'm not so sure the kind of cultural insensitivity that I see in a lot of threads on this subject is the best way to address a very serious issue to the Japanese.