The annual Taiji dolphin hunts are underway yet again, which means innocent wild dolphins and other cetaceans will be herded into the infamous “Cove” in Taiji, Japan and hunted by fishermen. The ones they deem profitable to sell alive will be captured and sold to dolphinariums, marine parks, and other tourist attractions, while others will succumb to horrific bloody slaughter.

Although many of us are aware of the Taiji hunts, this fact will leave you speechless. According to the international marine Conservation group, Keiko Conservation, for every one dolphin in captivity, seventeen will be killed in Taiji.

Keiko Conservation/Instagram

Hate to see this brutality inflicted on dolphins and other cetaceans? Then there is a lot you can do. If you are artistically inclined, Keiko Conservation is asking for you to create images and media featuring the Japanese phrases they have listed on their website, post them on social media, and tag dolphinariums (a list of them is provided on the website as well) to the post. If you prefer an even more hands-on approach, you can participate in any number of the Taiji hunt protests worldwide, the details of which you can find from Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project.

Of course, you can always help increase awareness of the Taiji hunts by educating your friends and family about it. Posts on social media are effective, but you can also host a movie night with The Cove as the feature presentation, or organize a presentation about Taiji to teach students in classrooms about the very serious issues at hand. And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, never Support dolphinariums and marine parks. Once the demand for using animals as entertainment ends, these parks will be forced to shut down or at least change their attractions.

Many people are still unaware of the tragedy of Taiji and visit marine parks, so PLEASE share this with your network to help spread the truth about animals in captivity used for entertainment.

Lead Image Source: Pixabay/pexels.com