Be a Dolphin's Friend

People all over the world have greeted the news of the start of the dolphin slaughter in Taiji Japan with sadness, shock and fury. The Cove has highlighted some very gruesome and inhumane practices around dolphin capture and slaughter - a regular event in this Japanese town – and brought it to the centre of international attention.

So instead of the usual blog, I thought I would just do a listing of organisations working to save dolphins and marine mammals so concerned individuals can find further info and get involved in their own way. While we can’t all stand on picket lines or make compelling documentary films, we can support those groups devoted to protecting marine mammals such as dolphins, whales and porpoises. Campaigns depend on individuals to make them a success so I hope you find the info handy and useful (and this is nothing near being an exhaustive or definitive list so if you know of more organisations, please publicise them.

Dolphins in Japan

Save Japan Dolphins
For the latest and info on actions you can take. There is a pledge on swimming with dolphins and captive dolphin shows.

Dolphins in captivity
A cruel aspect of the dolphin hunt highlighted in The Cove is the trade in captured dolphins. It may seem like good ole family fun to take the kids to a dolphin show but the dolphins suffer greatly as a result. Similarly, there are “dolphinariums” where paying customers can swim or snorkel with captured dolphins. The animals may appear content but research has shown detrimental effects on their health and welfare.

Marine Connections – a UK-based charity working for the welfare of dolphins and whales. They have a campaign on captured marine mammals:

Born Free Foundation – an international animal welfare organisation based in the UK – has an informative page on captive dolphins

Humane Society USA’s page on marine mammals in captivity

Marine mammal protection and seafood/preventing by-catch deaths
It’s not just the outright killing but also bycatch (the untargeted and unintentional marine life caught by commercial fishers) to which dolphins fall victim.


Greenpeace’s page on bycatch at sea

Wildlife Trust (UK) has a campaign on dolphin entanglement deaths.

Earth Trust (US) has a project on driftnetting.

Other marine mammal information and campaigns

World Wildlife Fund Protecting river dolphins in South America:

Ocean Conservation Society (US-based) - researching and educating about marine life

Petitions
There are many online. Have a look through Facebook or Twitter.

Here is a fairly well-subscribed one in Facebook titled “Stop the Dolphin and Whale Slaughter in Taiji, Japan”

Another one from Care2: End Dolphin Slaughtering in Japan