Taiji Dolphin Hunt

Imagine you are gliding through the still blue ocean, surrounded by your family and friends. Suddenly, a loud booming sound breaks through the peaceful underworld. Before you know it, you have been herded into a bay and sealed off from the free world. You watch and wait as others are picked and plucked from the water; they are the “lucky” ones. Next thing you know, a metal rod has pierced your spine, instantly paralysing you but not yet killing you. You are then tied to a boat by your feet and dragged through, struggling for breath and slowing drowning. The last thing you see and feel is a blade slicing through your body, spilling out the contents as you drift into eternal darkness. Shocking as it may be, this becomes a harsh reality for many helpless dolphins swimming the Taiji waters.
Taiji is a small town located in Japan that plays host to the very cruel and inhumane slaughtering of dolphins. Every year from September to April the Taiji Dolphin Drive takes place and brutally strips hundreds of dolphins of their lives while others are captured and exported to aquariums all around the world. In 1987, one year after the International whaling commission placed a ban on whaling, the number of dolphins slaughtered tripled. To this day, it is estimated that an astounding 23 000 dolphins are killed every year in Japan.
The slaughtering of the dolphins is carried out using very cruel methods. Dolphins are acoustic animals meaning they are sensitive to sound; it is how they collect their information. The Japanese use this to their advantage and exploit their sensitivity and by whacking metal pipes along the sides of their boats, creating a loud, thundering sound. This creates a barrier of sound and drives them towards the bay as they attempt to escape the fearful noise, marking the beginning of a long and torturous process.
The dolphins are sealed in the bay by a net, blocked off from the open water. They are then left overnight to “calm down”. The next morning the