Dolphin Drive Hunt - Taiji

Every year in the Japanese fishing town of Taiji 26 fishermen in 13 motorized boats go out and slaughter approximately 2,300 dolphins. They chase the dolphins in their boats for up to eight hours, during which many young or weak dolphins die of exhaustion or shock. The remaining dolphins are then driven into a secret killing cove where trainers from zoos and aquariums all around the world are waiting. The dolphins are lifted onto the beach where the trainers select the best-looking dolphins to take back to their zoos for a life of cruelty and captivity. Often those selected are mothers who cry out with distress as they are seperated from their unweaned calves. Those that aren't selected are then butchered alive with spears, harpoons and meat hooks. The meat is then sent to supermarkets and restaurants all over Japan for human consumption. But this meat, due to pollution in Japanese waters, is highly contaminated with mercury and PCB's, making it deadly poisonous if eaten. But no warnings are given to the public and the meat is labelled "whale meat".

Every year in the Japanese fishing town of Taiji 26 fishermen in 13 motorized boats go out and slaughter approximately 2,300 dolphins. They chase the dolphins in their boats for up to eight hours, during which many young or weak dolphins die of exhaustion or shock. The remaining dolphins are then driven into a secret killing cove where trainers from zoos and aquariums all around the world are waiting. The dolphins are lifted onto the beach where the trainers select the best-looking dolphins to take back to their zoos for a life of cruelty and captivity. Often those selected are mothers who cry out with distress as they are seperated from their unweaned calves. Those that aren't selected are then butchered alive with spears, harpoons and meat hooks. The meat is then sent to supermarkets and restaurants all over Japan for human consumption. But this meat, due to pollution in Japanese waters, is highly contaminated with mercury and PCB's, making it deadly poisonous if eaten. But no warnings are given to the public and the meat is labelled "whale meat".

To Ichiro Fujisaki,

We the undersigned strongly believe that the dolphin drive hunt performed in Taiji annually is wrong. Not only because the dolphins are violently tortured before being brutally murdered, but because the meat is highly poisonous and can cause Minamata's disease, a sometimes fatal poisoning.

We as animal lovers believe that there are better ways for the Japanese fishermen to make money than to slaughter thousands of endangered dolphins, the hunt also violates the IWC, because the IWC bans the killing of pilot whales. We also believe that the meat from cetaceans should not be sold to the Japanese public because of the contaminants (such as mercury, PCB's and DDT) it contains. This poses a serious health risk to the people of Japan.

[Your message here]

We believe that new laws should be enforced stopping the mass murder, not only to protect and ensure the safe future of the dolphins, but also for the health and wellbeing of the people of Japan. Thank you for taking the time to read our letter.

Yours faithfully,

[Your Name]