By Kirsten Massebeau

Pilot Whales in The Cove Awaiting Slaughter
By SSCS Cove Guardians

While hurricane Sandy devastates the East Coast of the United States a very different issue continues to make news and pulsate through the lines of social media. Each year in Taiji, Japan from September to March a small group of men hunt dolphins for the captive industry, and to supply a small demand for the meat which is toxic. In 2009 the academy award winning film, “The Cove” was released in an effort to expose the brutal killing and capture of dolphins in Taiji. The world was horrified. Many people wanted to believe, “The Cove” had exposed and ended the cruel treatment of dolphins in Taiji but sadly that is not the case. During the 2011 hunting season Dieter Hagmann of Atlantic Blue secretly obtained footage of how slowly the dolphins die, and the terrible extent of their suffering at the hand of the hunters.

On October 30, 2012 a huge pod of approximately 120 pilot whales was driven into the deadly cove. Today as livestream was broadcast to the world via the Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians the world watched as the cruel dolphin hunters inflicted pain and suffering beyond imagination on these helpless dolphins. The pilot whales huddled together, were systematically dragged to their slow and painful deaths. Babies panicked and suffocated under the nets while adults rushed onto the rocks but were dragged back to the shallows where death awaited.

Taiji: many pilot whales struggling to fight for last breath.Baby caught in nets. So brutal & words can’t describe this horror #tweet4taiji

Baby suffocates under nets by SSCS Cove Guardians

Pilot whales struggle during slaughter by SSCS Cove Guardians

While half of the huge pod was transported via skiffs to the butcher house the rest of the pod waits, huddled, hungry, and swimming in the blood of their family members! According to Save Japan Dolphin Taiji Cove Monitors the pilot whale quota has most likely been filled today:

#tweet4dolphins
Killing quota (161) for pilot whales likely to be filled by now. Hunters should release remaining animals!

Take Action! Activists in Social Media on Facebook and Twitter are asking you to take action now! Sign the petition asking the BBC take a crew to Taiji to cover the slaughter here. Contact your Japanese Embassy and ask them to stop issuing permits for hunting dolphins. Send a free fax here to the Taiji Fisherman’s Union 81-73-559-3018, Mayor Sangen of Taiji 81-73-559-2801, Dolphin Resort 81-73-559-2810.

してくださいは、赤ちゃんを殺さないで
赤ちゃんは無実である
ゴンドウクジラは、主にイカを餌に
ウェブページにあなたの研究を行ってください
ゴンドウクジラはあなたの魚を盗んでいない

Please you, do not kill a baby
The baby is innocent
The pilot whales, mainly feed on squid
Please do your research on the web page
Pilot whales are not stealing your fish.

The Cove Runs Red via Save the Blood Dolphins

Tweet: #tweet4dolpins, #tweet4taiji,fax, email, call, and share! Let our voices be heard! Together we can end it!