photo credit: theoriginaldolphinwatch.com
Dolphin lovers should watch "The Cove," if they would like to know why they should do something about the plight of endangered dolphins in Japan.
A weekend ago I watched a documentary film that brought a shocking expose. "The Cove," the best documentary film of 2009, details the dolphin slaughter annually happening in Taiji, Japan. Most people of the world are not aware that more than 20,000 dolphins and porposies are being slaughtered every year off the coast in that Asian country. If that is not bad enough, the dolphin meat, fraudulently labeled as whale meat, is sold as food in Japan and other Asian places. Dolphin meat contains toxic levels of mercury. In the 1950's, the Minamata disease caused by severe mercury poisoning resulted in the birth of deformed Japanese children (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease).
The release of "The Cove" has created worldwide attention to this problem and brought awareness to the dangers of consumption of seafood contaminated with mercury. Those in power are pressured to end the annual practice of dolphin slaughter.
According to http://www.takepart.com/cove the release of the documentary has produced positive results:
It’s been working. The film has been making waves since it premiered last year. Critical praise and audience awards worldwide have focused international attention on Taiji and the annual dolphin drives off the coast of Japan Tokyo Japan
But the effort needs to continue. On September 1, the six-month dolphin hunting season opened again, and fishermen in Taiji plan to take to the cove despite international pressure. Experts say education, awareness and persistence are needed to eventually turn the tide.
1.4MM people have signed the petition to end the slaughter, but this is just the beginning. The hunt still goes on. Find out what you can do to help.
