Pressure Grows On Dolphin Hunt As German Minister Speaks Out

[G_j]

http://uk.whales.org/blog/courtneyvail/2014/01/pressure-grows-on-dolphin-hunts-german-minister-speaks-out

22 JANUARY 2014 - 12:17AM

Just a day after the U.S. and U.K. Governments’ statements condemning the latest dolphin hunts in Taiji, Japan, the German Federal Agriculture Minister has also stepped forward with a statement condemning the hunts. Hans-Peter Friedrichs stated that the most recent pictures and reports from the Taiji drive hunts were “outrageous and shocking” and “Dolphins have to be protected.” His comments join those of his diplomatic colleagues to raise the profile of the dolphin drive hunts within the highest political circles, and outside the failings of the IWC to address small whale and dolphin protection internationally.

Over 250 bottlenose dolphins were driven into the killing Cove over the weekend. Individuals from this large round-up have either been transported away to Dolphin Base and the Taiji Whale Museum where they will be held and trained for shipment to national or international facilities, killed for their meat, or driven back out to sea. Reportedly, 52 bottlenose dolphins were selected for aquaria, 41 slaughtered, and the rest released. It is likely that additional deaths will be counted in the tally, as oftentimes dolphins will strand after being driven back to sea, finally succumbing to the long and traumatic process. In this case, the dolphins were held for a period of four days, ending a long and painful process for some and serving as the beginning for others who will find themselves confined to a lifetime in captivity.

Perhaps more dramatic than the young albino dolphin captured during this hunt, a sign of innocence lost in her own right and appropriately nick-named named ‘Angel’, were the bold and definitive statements coming from diplomatic offices of first the U.S., and then the U.K. embassies. U.S. Ambassador Kennedy's definitive statements made over Twitter represent the first real public statements from the U.S. Government against the drive hunts. Most importantly, these public statements, regardless of how they were delivered, focused on welfare concerns and the issue of the inhumaneness of these hunts.

Previously, government officials have engaged on the topic of small cetacean hunts within the realm of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and other international fora, but have never made such bold and targeted statements specifically against the drive hunts. In the past, resolutions from the IWC have focused on sustainability concerns, but have fallen short in calling for a cessation to these hunts on welfare grounds.


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[Trillo]

1. Imagine all the dolphin families that just

got all split up. Pods I think they're called. What if they love like we do.

[shenmue]

2. This has to be stopped

It's horrible.