tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79127015932866418252024-03-12T17:44:08.983-07:00Save Japan DolphinsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-91509870902088416592010-12-02T20:13:00.000-08:002010-12-02T20:17:53.219-08:00A Message From Ric O'BarryIt's hard to believe the year is drawing to an end, and what a year it has been!<br /><br />Your support has led to some of our most important successes - things that just two years ago I wasn't sure would be possible: Here are just a few of the highlights:<br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/17174156?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /><br />We opened "The Cove" in Japan despite intense opposition, and received unprecedented coverage of the issue. Before "The Cove" came out, I was beating down the doors of media in Japan begging them to cover the story. After "The Cove," they met me at the airport and followed us to almost every location. Our press conference was attended by over 100 media representatives, including every major broadcast outlet. We still have a lot of work to do, but the secret is now out!<br /><br />Japan is one of three nations hunting dolphins. The other two are The Faroe Islands and The Solomon Islands. Because of your support, we were able to negotiate a deal that ENDS the majority of hunting in The Solomon Islands. We estimate that around 2000 dolphins will be saved each year.<br /><br />You all took unprecedented actions. Almost 100 of you went back to Japan with me at the beginning of the hunting season to present our petition signatures (1.7 million at the time.) More still called or showed up at Japanese Embassies and Consulate offices in Miami, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle, San Francisco, Atlanta, New York, London, Toronto, Ottawa, Dublin, Cape Town, the Philippines, Canberra, Hong Kong, and more. Activists from all over the world and many different organizations are now on the ground monitoring the fisherman daily.<br /><br />We were called to Egypt, where we found four dolphins from Taiji languishing in someone's backyard pool. Working with local activists from HEPCA we were able to get them moved and the city passed a ban on all imports from Taiji.<br /><br />Again, and I can't say this enough, we couldn't do any of this without YOU. And we still have a long way to go - in Japan especially - but know that with your continued support we'll be able to do much more.<br /><br />Thank you for all that you do!<br /><br />Ric O'Barry<br />Campaign Director<br />Save Japan DolphinsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-73637793568867540702010-12-02T14:11:00.000-08:002010-12-02T20:34:09.987-08:00An Open Letter To The Mayor of TaijiDecember 1, 2010<br /><br />Mayor Kazutaka Sangen<br /><br />Taiji-cho Town Hall<br />3767-1 Taiji-cho<br />Higashimuro-gun<br />Wakayama Prefecture<br />649-5171 Japan<br /><br />I hope you and the people of Taiji are doing well.<br /><br />As you know, I chose not to take part in your meeting in Taiji on November 2nd, because I felt the restrictions placed on participants and media were unfair and restricted the dialog that we both are seeking.<br /><br />I would, as an alternative, propose that you and I meet in Tokyo at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club for an open meeting without restrictions on either the participants or the media.<br /><br />I would like to come in the spirit of mutual understanding and free flow of discussion.<br /><br />I and my organization have a long history of engaging in peaceful efforts to save dolphins around the world. We believe hunts of this nature are not good for dolphins or humans. We have long expressed our concerns for people who eat dolphin meat, including those in Taiji, the Faroe Islands, and the Solomon Islands.<br /><br />We have great respect for the people of Taiji and the people of Japan, and we have never broken any laws. Nor do we support a boycott of Japan, unlike other organizations.<br /><br />We believe open discussion and finding alternatives for the hunts is the best way to address these issues.<br /><br />We still believe that it would be constructive at this time to have a dialogue.Thank you for your consideration of having a meeting with me in Tokyo at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club at a time we can mutually agree on.<br /><br />With respect and humility,<br /><br />Richard O’Barry<br />Campaign Director<br />Save Japan Dolphins<br />Earth Island Institute<br /><br />* * * * * * * * * * * * *<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Courier;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Courier;color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Courier;color:blue;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Courier;color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" lang="JA">〒</span><span style=";font-family:Courier;color:black;" >649-5171</span><span style="font-family:Courier;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" lang="JA">和歌山県東牟婁郡太地町3767-1</span><span style=";font-family:Courier;color:black;" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" lang="JA">太地町役場 </span><span style=";font-family:Courier;color:black;" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" lang="JA">町長 三軒一高殿</span><span style=";font-family:Courier;color:black;" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style=";font-family:Courier;color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoSalutation"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="JA">拝啓 寒冷の候 町長殿及び<span style="color:black;">太地町民の皆様には益々ご清祥のことと存じ上げます。</span></span><span style="color:black;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="JA">さて、ご存知の通り、去る11月2日に行われた意見交換会への参加を勝手ながら見合わせましたのは、参加者と報道陣に課された規制が不当なものであると判断し、双方が望んでいる対話に制約が生じたためでございます。</span><span style=""></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="JA">代わりに、以下の提案をさせていただきたく存じます。町長殿と私が東京の外国人記者クラブにおいて、参加者と報道陣に規制をかけずに、オープンな形で会合を持つことは可能でしょうか?</span><span style=""></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="JA">相互理解の姿勢をもって、自由な雰囲気のもとに、会合に臨みたいと存じます。</span><span style=""></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="JA">私および私共の団体は、世界中のイルカを救うために長い間平和的努力を重ねてまいりました。太地町で行われているようなイルカ漁は、イルカにとっても人間にとっても望ましくないと信じております。太地町、フェロー諸島、ソロモン諸島等の住民でイルカ肉を食する人々に対し、これまで長い間懸念を示してまいりました。</span><span style=""></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="JA">私共は、太地町の住民および日本国民の皆様に対し敬意を払っており、これまで法に反することは行っておりません。他の団体と異なり、日本国や日本製品をボイコットするようなことは支持しておりません。オープンな形で話し合いを持つこと、及びイルカ漁に代わる産業をみつけることがこの問題に関する最善策であると信じております。</span><span style=""></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(0, 68, 126);font-size:9pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="JA">現時点で対話の機会が持てれば、建設的であろうと未だ信じております。是非とも、町長殿と私にとって都合が良いタイミングで東京の外国人記者クラブにて会合を持てることをご検討頂けますように、お願い申し上げます。</span><span style="font-family:Courier;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Courier;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Courier;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Courier;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoClosing"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="JA">敬具</span><span style=""></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family:Courier;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family:Courier;">2010</span><span style=";font-family:";" lang="JA">年</span><span style="font-family:Courier;">12</span><span style=";font-family:";" lang="JA">月1日</span><span style="font-family:Courier;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="JA">アース・アイランド研究所「日本のイルカを救おう」</span><span style="font-family:Courier;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-family:";" lang="JA">キャンペーン・ディレクター リチャード・オバリー</span><span style="font-family:Courier;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style=";font-family:Courier;color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" lang="JA">太地町長 三軒一高殿</span><span style=";font-family:Courier;color:black;" ></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-18485334841108393542010-11-05T14:05:00.000-07:002010-11-05T14:08:36.074-07:00President Obama can Help Save Whales and Dolphins<b>By Ric O’Barry<br />Campaign Director<br />Save Japan Dolphins<br />Earth Island Institute</b><br /><br />Today is Worldwide Anti-Whaling Day, and President Barack Obama just left for a trip to Asia, which will include a stop in Japan. Earth Island Institute/Save Japan Dolphins, In Defense of Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute, and several other environmental and animal welfare organizations sent him a letter that began:<br /><br />“…the undersigned organizations, representing 2½ million members and petition signers, urge you to request that the Japanese government expeditiously and permanently end its slaughter of dolphins and whales.”<br /><br />You can send a message to:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/">http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/ </a><br /><br />President Obama is scheduled to be in Japan the 13th and 14th of November, to include a meeting with the new Prime Minister Naoto Kan.<br /><br />The full text of our letter:<br /><br /><b>Earth Island Institute<br />Animal Welfare Institute<br />World Society for the Protection of Animals<br />American Cetacean Society<br />Cetacean Society International<br />In Defense of Animals<br />Nantucket Marine Mammal Conservation Program<br />Orgami Whales Project<br />Peninsula Citizens for the Protection of Whales<br />The Whaleman Foundation/Save the Whales Again! Campaign</b><br /><br />November 4, 2010<br /><br />President Barack Obama<br />The White House<br />1600 Pennsylvania Ave.<br />Washington, DC 20500<br /><br /> VIA E-mail, FAX, and Regular Mail<br /><br />Dear President Obama:<br /><br />On the eve of your upcoming trip to Japan to meet with Prime Minister Naoto Kan, the undersigned organizations, representing 2 ½ million members and online petition signers, urge you to request that the Japanese government expeditiously and permanently end its slaughter of dolphins and whales.<br /><br />More than 2 million people from 151 countries have signed online petitions urging an end to the slaughter of dolphins in Japan, as depicted by the Academy Award-winning documentary, The Cove, and the Animal Planet television series, Blood Dolphin$. Considering that mercury and other toxic materials poison much of the dolphin meat, this issue is more than about protecting dolphins and whales but is also necessary to protect human health.<br /><br />The Japanese delegation to the International Whaling Commission (IWC), comprised mainly of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), has been completely uncooperative and disruptive within the body, continuing to defend killing whales in defiance of the moratorium on commercial whaling, including within the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary, and trading in whale products in violation of spirit and intent of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The MAFF’s bogus scientific research is an illegal front for commercial whaling, this illegal whaling is conducted in direct defiance of international law, and MAFF’s pursuits within the IWC represent a breach of accepted diplomatic behavior and practices. Furthermore, it has been documented that the MAFF has engaged in bribery of delegates to the IWC, including providing funds for travel, entertainment, prostitutes, and cash. MAFF staff and its IWC delegation are paid for through controversial taxpayer subsidies and the sale of whale meat obtained from so-called “scientific” whaling, which is a direct conflict of interest.<br /><br />For these reasons, continued negotiations at the IWC in an attempt to find a compromise with Japan and other whaling nations are simply useless. The MAFF has demonstrated for years that it has no incentives to compromise or cooperate. Furthermore, if the United States were to continue to pursue such a compromise that allows the resumption of commercial whaling or legitimizes “scientific” whaling, as it has done for the past three years, it will not be acting in accordance with the needs and demands of the American people. Instead, the United States must work cooperatively with other like-minded IWC member-countries to continue to advance protections for all cetaceans, large and small, and their habitats through IWC resolutions, multi-national demarches against the whaling countries, and by using all other legal, diplomatic, and administrative tools to compel these countries to end commercial/scientific whaling.<br /><br />The MAFF authorizes and legitimizes the slaughter of intelligent dolphins and whales in the cruelest ways imaginable. These dolphin and whale hunts are inhumane and unnecessary. Dolphins and whales are harpooned at sea, while in Taiji, Japan, dolphins are herded into a shallow cove and then harpooned or have their throats slit in a welter of blood.<br /><br />Killing dolphins and whales hurts the government of Japan’s reputation and likely the economy of Japan due to adverse global publicity. The MAFF also promotes a distortion of the truth about whaling and dolphin killing to the people of Japan, who consequently tend to be oblivious to the suffering of the animals, the potential toxicity of the meat, as well as the implications for the sustainability of cetacean populations.<br /><br />Your personal intervention at the highest levels of the Japanese government is needed to help change this dynamic. Otherwise, the MAFF will continue to permit the unnecessary slaughter of whales and dolphins, practice the politics of disruption within the IWC, and deceive the Japanese public. Many Japanese do not even know that their Fisheries Agency allows the killing of dolphins and endangered species of whales.<br /><br />It is high time that Japan’s failure to join the rest of the world in protecting cetaceans comes to an end, and that the government rehabilitate its image that has been so badly damaged by the MAFF and their machinations to promote whaling and the slaughter of dolphins at any cost.<br /><br />You can convey these facts to the new Prime Minister better than anyone else.<br /><br />We thank you for your consideration of our request. Please feel free to contact any of us if you or your office needs additional information.<br /><br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />David Phillips<br />Executive Director <br />Earth Island Institute <br /><br />Ric O’Barry<br />Campaign Director<br />Save Japan Dolphins <br />Earth Island Institute<br /><br />Susan Millward<br />Executive Director<br />Animal Welfare Institute<br /><br />Silla Smith<br />Interim Executive Director US<br />World Society for the Protection of Animals<br /><br />Cheryl McCormick, Ph.D.<br />Executive Director<br />American Cetacean Society<br /><br />William W. Rossiter<br />President<br />Cetacean Society International<br /><br />Melissa Gonzalez<br />Wildlife Campaigns Manager<br />In Defense of Animals<br /><br />Scott Leonard<br />Director of Operations<br />Nantucket Marine Mammal Conservation Program<br /><br />Peggy Oki<br />Founder and Director<br />Origami Whales Project<br /><br />Chuck Owens<br />President<br />Peninsula Citizens for the Protection of Whales<br /><br />Jeff Pantukopff<br />President and Founder<br />The Whaleman Foundation<br />Executive Director<br />Save the Whales Again! Campaign<br /><br />Cc: <blockquote>Vice President Joe Biden<br /> Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke<br /> Secretary of State Hilary Clinton<br /> CEQ Chairperson Nancy Sutley<br /> NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco <br /> United States IWC Commissioner Monica Medina<br /> Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid<br /> Senator Barbara Boxer<br /> Senator John Kerry<br /> House Speaker Nancy Pelosi<br /> Representative Nick Rahall<br /> Representative George Miller </blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-56502747343224209192010-11-03T22:10:00.000-07:002010-11-03T22:16:13.250-07:00Taiji Ground Zero Detonates on Nov. 2nd<b>By Leah Lemieux<br />Volunteer<br />Save Japan Dolphins<br />Earth Island Institute<br />Author: Rekindling the Waters</b><br /><br />I think this has been the longest and most insane, dangerous and fraught day of my life.<br /><br />At the appointed time this morning, Ric O’Barry arrived at the Taiji community center where he would be joining a number of other people representing the interests and protection of the dolphins (and all the innocent people unknowingly eating mercury tainted dolphin meat) for a meeting with the Taiji Mayor and the fishermen’s union.<br /><br />But suddenly everything detonated as Ric announced at the door that he was refusing to participate in the Taiji meeting, because the Mayor had placed such heavy restrictions on the media, going so far as to bar any media from participating that might ask unwanted questions of the Mayor and fishermen’s union. Ric also stated the Mayor had been holding secret meetings with the extreme nationalist groups that opposed screening of The Cove movie in Japan. To everyone’s astonishment, Ric announced that he would be hosting his own free dialogue open to all questions and press at the cove, where the Taiji Mayor would not muzzle discussion. Chaos ensued immediately.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TNJAqXVnBFI/AAAAAAAAAXU/e92PtoZbLDI/s1600/image002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TNJAqXVnBFI/AAAAAAAAAXU/e92PtoZbLDI/s400/image002.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535557988555097170" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Ric and Media crush at the cove on November 2nd. </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"> Photography by Leah Lemieux.</span></div><br />Outraged officials began screaming, as Ric headed off to the cove followed by a divided media hoard. I’ve never been in something like this before – a media riot, where cameramen were actually trampling each other to get close to Ric! I was washed and squashed embedded amid this sudden unruly tide, keeping close to Ric, to try and lend the support of a friendly face in a place where dangerous hostility could erupt from any direction at any time.<br /><br />At the cove, Ric addressed the press about the issues so close to our hearts and unrolled a banner representing the signatures of two million people around the world who oppose the killing and capture of dolphins in Taiji.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TNJA8JuIPLI/AAAAAAAAAXc/aaTgeA7qVzs/s1600/image004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TNJA8JuIPLI/AAAAAAAAAXc/aaTgeA7qVzs/s400/image004.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535558294137486514" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Ric at the cove with the scroll representing 2 million online signatures against the killing and capture of dolphins in Japan.</b></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Photography by Leah Lemieux.</span></div><br />Meanwhile, in another part of the forest… Inside the Taiji community center the other half of the press (those who weren't barred by the Mayor) were attending the meeting. On one side were the Taiji town Mayor and representatives of the Taiji fishermen’s union, the people who slaughter dolphins. And among those in the other corner were representatives of organizations speaking for the dolphins and the oceans.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TNJBOSdeAuI/AAAAAAAAAXk/AihnSwtpMIg/s1600/image005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TNJBOSdeAuI/AAAAAAAAAXk/AihnSwtpMIg/s400/image005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535558605721174754" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Taiji Mayor Sangen (far right) and other representatives of the dolphin killers at Nov. 2nd meeting. </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> Photography by Leah Lemieux.</span></div><br />Many media representatives were present, but the questions they were allowed to ask were very tightly controlled, and no dolphin sympathies were allowed to be voiced by press – those had already been weeded out and barred from the meeting!<br /><br />Despite the orchestrated attempts to bias the meeting in strong favor of dolphin hunting, the press heard our voices. Various representatives and volunteers for the dolphins spoke with calm assurance and never lost their cool.<br /><br />After this meeting, everyone who was not there already headed to the cove, and that’s when it got really crazy.<br /><br />Death threats were uttered, and the local police were out in force to protect Ric, who had earned the wrath of officials he had defied by refusing to participate in their jury-rigged meeting.<br /><br />Later this evening, Ric got on a train out of here heading to Tokyo. We had a heavy police escort. There were some very VERY angry characters about, tons of media, and there were loud public threats made against Ric's life and Lincoln O’Barry’s life, too. Police everywhere--thankfully. There were some VERY scary moments!<br /><br />With the different groups and individuals here, there are many different approaches to this issue. Nature shows us there is strength in diversity. Today was an event – a crazy event that threatened to get out of hand. But stopping the dolphin kills is a process that will take time. Despite the chaos, much good came of this by bringing the issues and opinions of those who value dolphins alive and free to so much Japanese media. Ric O’Barry and other representatives and volunteers present gave the Japanese people much to think about, and that can only be for the good.<br /><br />The issues in Taiji are complex, to say the least. It is of course important to find ways for the dolphin hunters to work and feed their families, but not by killing dolphins.<br /><br />For additional Taiji blogs by Leah: <a href="http://www.rekindlingthewaters.com/">http://www.rekindlingthewaters.com/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-5253270750060641962010-11-01T13:58:00.000-07:002010-11-02T13:53:43.096-07:00<div class="Section1" style="layout-grid:18.0pt"><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">To whom it may concern</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-family:arial;">関係各位</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:Georgia, serif;"><b><i><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Statement of Non-Participation</span></span></span></u></i></b></span><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><br /></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:19.5pt"><b><i><u><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">不参加についての声明文</span></span></span></u></i></b><b><i><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></u></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"> </span></span></span><b><u><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho";mso-ascii-Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">リチャード・オバリー</span></span></span></u></b><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"> </span></span></span><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-Times New Roman";mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">RICHARD O’BARRY</span></span></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">The reasons I will not participate are:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">私は、「対話集会」には参加いたしません。その理由は、次の通りです:</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Mayor Sangen has broken his promise by trying to interfere with the Japanese and international media representative</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">s</span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"> right to report to the Japanese public.</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">He has ordered severe restrictions on the Japanese and international media representatives ability to freely cover this event</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi- font-family:"MS Mincho";mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">。</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">三軒市長は約束を違えました。</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">市長は、日本と国際メデイアが有している権利、即ち、日本の社会に対して正しい報道を行う権利を妨げようとしています。市長は、このイベントについての内外メデイアの自由な取材活動に対し、厳しい規制をかけるよう、命じています。</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">I want to make it absolutely clear that I do not support any organization which is calling for boycotting Japan to save the Taiji dolphins. I am opposed to any such boycott. My being here has been an “anti-boycott”.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">加えて私は、三軒市長により招待された参加団体</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">――</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">この団体は太地のイルカを守るために日本をボイコットする運動を呼び掛けています</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">――</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">を一切支持しないことを、明確にしておきたいと思います。</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">私は、このようなボイコット運動には絶対反対です。私が今回太地に参りましたこと自体が、「ボイコットに反対する意志」の表明です。</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">The reason I came here to Taiji this time was that I was promised to be able to have an honest and freewheeling discussion with Mayor Sangen, with full, free, and unfettered accessibility for all interested Japanese and international media people. I was expecting and looking forward to a frank dialogue on how the dolphin hunt and the sale of toxic mercury-contaminated dolphin meat to the Japanese public can be terminated, while guaranteeing the financial livelihoods of the Taiji dolphin fishermen and their families.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">この度、私が太地に参りました理由は、この問題に関心を寄せる全ての日本と国際メデイアの方々が自由に参加し、取材活動を行える環境の下で、三軒市長と忌憚のない率直な話し合いが出来る、という約束を頂いたからです。私は今回の対話について大きな期待を抱いておりました。太地の漁師とそのご家族の財務的な生活基盤を確保しながら、イルカ漁と水銀汚染されたイルカ肉の日本での販売を、どのように停止できるか等について、前向きで活発な話し合いを出来ることを楽しみにしておりました。</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-family:arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Mayor Sagen tried to stop “The Cove” from being shown in Japanese movie theaters. He did everything possible to stop the Japanese people from having a chance to learn about what is happening in Taiji.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">三軒市長は、「ザ・コーブ」の日本の映画館での上映を、阻止しようとしました。市長は、太地で起こっている事態が日本の人々に知られないように、あらゆる手立てを講じました。</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">I just learned that Mayor Sangen has repeatedly met secretly with representatives of one of the organizations that tried to stop Japanese people from having a chance to see “The Cove” by threatening Japanese movie theater owners and the Japanese distributor of “The Cove”. These are the very same people who tried and are still trying to stifle free speech.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">最近、判明したことですが、三軒市長は、日本の人々が「ザ・コーブ」を見れないようにするために日本の映画館オーナーや配給会社を脅していた団体の一つの代表者達と、複数回に渡り、密かに会っていました。この団体のメンバーは、表現の自由を押しつぶそうとしていた人達であり、今でもその活動を続けています。</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">This “Conference” has turned out to be a total sham. I will not take part in it in any way. I will “boycott” this whole disgraceful set-up.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">この「対話集会」は、今や、全くの偽りだらけのイベントと化してしまいました。私はこの集会には、いかなる形式にせよ、参加しません。私はこの恥じるべき八百長こそを、ボイコットします。</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">My statement speaks for itself.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">この声明文が私の意見の全てです。</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">I am now leaving this farce and going over to the place that brought me to Taiji in the first place, the Cove.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left;text-indent:18.0pt"><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">私は、これからこの茶番劇を離れ、もともと私が太地を訪れる理由となった場所に向かいます。</span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">つまり、私は「ザ・コーブ」</span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">(</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-size: 12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho";mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">入江</span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">)</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-size: 12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho";mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Arial Narrow"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">に参ります。</span></span></span></span><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-MS Mincho"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"> </span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"MS Mincho"; mso-ascii-Times New Roman";mso-hansi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">―以上―</span></span></span></span><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><br /><br /><hr /> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Earth Island Institute’s Position on Dolphin Killing In Japan. </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /> Earth Island Institute</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">の日本でのイルカ殺害に関する見解</span></span></span></p> <p style="line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It is important that we state our views clearly and firmly.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span></span> <span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">私達が</span></span></span><span style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">我々の見解をしっかりと明らかに述べることはとても重要です。</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Earth Island Institute (EII) and I do not believe in breaking the laws in Taiji and will not conduct illegal activities.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span></span> <span style="line-height:115%; font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Earth Island Institute</span></span></span><span style="line-height:115%;"Times New Roman";font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> (EII) </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">と私は、太地町の法律を</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">破るようなことはしていないと認識しており、今後も</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">違法な活動は断じて行いません。</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">EII and I do not support a boycott of Japan. We feel a boycott is counter-productive.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span></span> <span style="line-height:115%; font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">EII</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="line-height:115%;MS Mincho";font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">と私は日本でのボイコット</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(日本否定)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">をサポートしていません。また私達はボイコットが生産的ではないと考えています。</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">EII and I have always addressed and will continue to address these issues with respect for the people of Japan and will work with them to solve these problems.</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br />EII</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">と私は、日本の人達に対して敬意を持って常にこれらの問題に取り組んで</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">おり</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">、これからも彼らと共に、この問題を解決するために取り組み続けていきます。</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The media and government have tried to link us with other organizations, a linkage which we reject as unfair and inaccurate. We speak for our organization and ourselves only.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span></span> <span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">メディアと政府は、私達と不当で不明瞭な別の団体とをひとまとめにしようとしてきました。私達は我々の組織のためだけに話します。</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> From the beginning, I have sought to bring the truth to the people of Japan, truth which<br />cannot be denied or covered up anymore.<br /><br /></span></span> </span><span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">当初から、私は真実を日本の人々へ伝えるため模索し続けてきました。これ以上真実は、否定されることも隠ぺいされることもあってはなりません。</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Japanese people must be made aware of the killing of dolphins, which has been covered up by their government. The dolphin slaughter cannot be a Japanese “cultural” practice if the vast majority of the Japanese people don’t even know it is happening.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span></span> <span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">日本の人々は、政府によって隠されているイルカ殺害の事実を知るべきです。日本</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">が事実を</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">知らないようなイルカの虐殺は、日本の文化としてこれ以上実施されてはなりません。</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Japanese people must not be subjected to poisoning by mercury contamination found in dolphin meat, which is unsafe for human consumption.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span></span> <span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">日本人がイルカの肉を食用で消費することによる、危険な水銀汚染中毒をこれ以上増やすべきではありません。</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Westerners are not the original source of these concerns. Japanese researchers have done extensive testing on contamination of dolphin meat with mercury - in Japan, and Taiji specifically - proving that the mercury levels present a serious danger to the health of the public. Taiji City Council members have echoed these concerns as well. </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mercury poisoning should concern all of us.<br /><br /></span></span> </span><span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">これらのリサーチ結果は欧米でのものではありません。日本の研究者が太地町で売られている食用のイルカの肉に限定して大規模な調査を行い、その結果、人体に重大な危険を及ぼすレベルの水銀が含まれていることが証明されたのです。太地</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">町</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">議会のメンバーも同様に、これらの懸念について繰り返し言及しています。水銀中毒に関してもっと取り上げられるべきであると考えます。</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I am here not solely to express concerns for dolphins, but also for the health of the people of Japan and to see that the truth of what happens in Taiji is made public to the people of Japan.</span></span></span></p> <p><span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">私はイルカに関する懸念について述べるためだけにいるのではなく、日本の人々の健康についても言及したいと考えているのです。また太地町で何が起こっているのか、その真実を日本の人々へ伝えたいのです。</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There is a bright future for Taiji without the killing of dolphins. Earth Island Institute are willing to meet with Mayor Sangen in private or at a public meeting that is truly an open forum. ”</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span></span> <span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">太地町にはイルカを殺さずとも明るい未来があります。</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">EII</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">は三軒</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">町長</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">に個人的にお会いするか、または開かれた市民集会でお会い出来ることをとても嬉しく思っています。</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Thank you.<br /><br /></span></span> </span><span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">ありがとうございました。</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Additional resources: </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span></span> <span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">参考文献:</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">For mercury contamination research results, go to:<br /><a href="http://www.savejapandolphins.org/pdf/MercuryReport.pdf"> http://www.savejapandolphins.org/pdf/MercuryReport.pdf</a>.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span></span> <span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">食用イルカに含まれる水銀濃度リサーチ結果:</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Taiji officials’ statement warning about mercury poisoning: </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br /></span></span> <span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">水銀中毒に関する太地町の公式勧告:</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><a href="http://www.savejapandolphins.org/pdf/Taiji_City_Council.pdf">http://www.savejapandolphins.org/pdf/Taiji_City_Council.pdf</a></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Shortened version of The Cove: </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><br />The Cove</span></span></span><span lang="JA" style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">ダイジェストムービー:</span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/takepart#p/u/19/szBxUQHtVkg">http://www.youtube.com/takepart#p/u/19/szBxUQHtVkg</a></span></p></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-57108602394813276902010-10-31T20:46:00.000-07:002010-10-31T20:53:02.584-07:00Statement by Ric OBarry, Earth Island Institute<b>Participating in a Public Dialog with Mayor of Taiji about Dolphin Hunts on Nov. 2, 2010</b><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TM44WJ5UXUI/AAAAAAAAAXM/qstIOa8qWjs/s1600/image002.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 216px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TM44WJ5UXUI/AAAAAAAAAXM/qstIOa8qWjs/s400/image002.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534422945349524802" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Ric overlooking the cove in Taiji. </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Leah Lemieux.</span></div><br /> Ric OBarry, long-time dolphin activist for Earth Island Institute (EII) and subject of the Oscar-Winning THE COVE, makes this statement as a participant in a public discussion about dolphin hunting with Taiji Mayor Kazutaka Sangen and members of the fisheries union:<br /><br />"I want to thank Mayor Sangen today for arranging this meeting. We at Earth Island Institute support dialog on the subject of the dolphin killing."<br /><br />"It is important that we state our views clearly and firmly:"<br /><ul><li>EII and I do not believe in breaking the laws in Taiji and will not conduct illegal activities.</li><li>EII and I do not support a boycott of Japan. We feel a boycott is counter-productive.</li><li>EII and I have always addressed and will continue to address these issues with respect for the people of Japan and will work with them to solve these problems.</li><li> The media and government have tried to link us with other organizations, a linkage which we reject as unfair and inaccurate. We speak for our organization and ourselves only.</li></ul>"From the beginning, I have sought to bring the truth to the people of Japan, truth which cannot be denied or covered up anymore:"<br /><br /><ul><li><b>The Japanese people must be made aware of the killing of dolphins, which has been covered up by their government. The dolphin slaughter cannot be a Japanese cultural practice if the vast majority of the Japanese people dont even know it is happening</b>.</li><li><b>The Japanese people must not be subjected to poisoning by mercury contamination found in dolphin meat, which is unsafe for human consumption.</b></li></ul>"Westerners are not the original source of these concerns. Japanese researchers have done extensive testing on contamination of dolphin meat with mercury - in Japan, and Taiji specifically - proving that the mercury levels present a serious danger to the health of the public. Taiji City Council members have echoed these concerns as well. Mercury poisoning should concern all of us. "<br /><br />For mercury contamination research results, go to: <a href="http://www.savejapandolphins.org/pdf/MercuryReport.pdf">http://www.savejapandolphins.org/pdf/MercuryReport.pdf.</a><br /><br />"I am here not solely to express concerns for dolphins, but also for the health of the people of Japan and to see that the truth of what happens in Taiji is made public to the people of Japan."<br /><br />"There is a bright future for Taiji without the killing of dolphins. Earth Island Institute and I hope Mayor Sangen has an open mind during this meeting and will see that we can work together for a better future for the dolphins and the people of Taiji."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-81905466896812760152010-10-29T23:26:00.000-07:002010-11-04T19:38:28.488-07:00I’m Back in Taiji<b>By Ric O’Barry<br />Campaign Director<br />Save Japan Dolphins<br />Earth Island Institute</b><br /><br />Lincoln and I have returned to Taiji on short notice, planning to attend an interesting (to say the least) meeting with the Mayor of Taiji and the fishermen next week. The meeting is not open to the public, but will be open to the media.<br /><br />A local activist and nationalist in Wakayama Prefecture organized the meeting, persuading Taiji Mayor Kazutaka Sangen that dialog was important with Westerners. We have sought a meeting with the Mayor for several years, most recently when I returned to Japan on September 1st of this year. The Mayor has continually turned us down.<br /><br />On one of our first visits to Taiji back in 2004, my wife Helene and I held a meeting with the fishermen (this meeting is alluded to in the film The Cove). We had an open discussion about the dolphin slaughter – I even asked the fishermen to tell us what it would cost us to pay them to stop killing dolphins. They came back with the astonishing answer that they were engaged in “pest” control, convinced by the notorious Japanese Fisheries Agency that the dolphins were eating all their fish! It is remarkably sad when the Japanese fishermen start believing their own propaganda to be true.<br /><br />Now we will need to convince the skeptical Mayor and fishermen of Taiji and the Japanese media, which is sympathetic to the fishermen, that we want to help, that we are not here to confront the fishermen, and that we believe the people of Taiji will benefit from stopping the dolphin killing.<br /><br />Joining me in Taiji is author Leah Lemieux and her filmmaker friend, Suzanne Chisholm, visiting Taiji for the first time as volunteer observers and chroniclers. Leah is the author of <i>Rekindling the Water</i>s, a description of what it is like to be with dolphins in captivity and an indictment of the captive industry. I highly recommend it. She has also gone around Canada and the United Kingdom giving talks about The Cove and her efforts to protect dolphins. Now she is here at the proverbial ground zero – I quote from her first two blogs:<br /><br />“Oct. 27th: I arrived in Taiji today with film maker Suzanne Chisholm around noon. Only a few hours earlier, nearly 60 pacific spotted, bottlenose and Risso’s dolphins, including tiny babies, were murdered by the infamous Taiji dolphin killers. Today was their last sunrise. The dolphin killers have been going to increasing lengths to hide this profane practice behind tarps and closed doors trying to keep the blue waters from obviously running red.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TMzk1XmA6OI/AAAAAAAAAXE/wmtCrPkkz6A/s1600/Taiji3+345.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 237px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TMzk1XmA6OI/AAAAAAAAAXE/wmtCrPkkz6A/s400/Taiji3+345.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534049647649155298" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Bloody chunks of cetacean meat for sale.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Photography by Leah Lemieux.</span></div><br /><br />“Over and over it strikes you, how beautiful this place is and how the killing of dolphins stains this beautiful place. Our tour ended with a visit to the Dolphin Resort Hotel. We arrived just in time to see a group of school kids, who had all paid to play at ‘being a trainer for a day’. We stood, over-looking the floating pens where around 22 dolphins taken from the cove are held captive to perform and for tourists to swim with.<br /><br />“Today these dolphins had to listen as others of their marine community were murdered… I was shaking and struck silent, looking at these dolphins, restlessly pacing and circling in the tiny pens and watching all these school children, being fed lies. These dolphin trainers know full well that the families of all these captives were cruelly killed a stone’s throw away. And they must know it’s the money coming from the pockets of tourists that goes straight into the pockets of the dolphin killers and thus perpetuates the dolphin slaughter. Yet with smiles on their faces, surrounded by cartoonish depictions of ‘happy happy dolphins’, they ignore their essential part in this chain of pain and death.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TMu77Gh5OmI/AAAAAAAAAW8/Scb3fXy6-6s/s1600/image004.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 392px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TMu77Gh5OmI/AAAAAAAAAW8/Scb3fXy6-6s/s400/image004.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533723191194237538" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Wild Taiji dolphins condemned to captivity for the rest of their lives.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Photography by Leah Lemieux.</span></div><br />“This natural beauty is shamed and stained and marred by what happens here. This place represents a microcosm of the same battle being fought all over this Earth by those who value life and the living world and those who kill and destroy and turn living beings into dead blood money. <br /><br />“If there is any hope for the future of all and any of us, this has to change. If we cannot change what happens here, what hope is there?”<br /><br />Leah and Suzanne and many others are making a difference for dolphins by their volunteer efforts. They deserve our grateful thanks. You can read more of Leah’s eloquent Blogs on her website:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rekindlingthewaters.com/"> http://www.rekindlingthewaters.com/</a><br /><br />The good news is that the weather today and yesterday is preventing the dolphin-killing boats from going out to sea. Bad weather is good news for dolphins off the coast of Taiji.<br /><br />There is more to come as we prepare for our meeting next week with the fishermen of Taiji.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-65396610045013132162010-10-27T18:42:00.000-07:002010-11-04T19:39:41.558-07:00Ric O’Barry Of Earth Island Institute to Participate in Public Discussion with Mayor of Taiji about Dolphin Hunts<span style="font-weight:bold;">MEDIA RELEASE * MEDIA RELEASE<br /><br />October 27, 2010</span><div><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Ric O’Barry Of Earth Island Institute to Participate in Public Discussion with Mayor of Taiji about Dolphin Hunts</span><br /><br /> Ric O’Barry, long-time dolphin activist for Earth Island Institute and subject of the Oscar-Winning THE COVE, has accepted an invitation to participate in a public discussion about dolphin hunting with Taiji Mayor Kazutaka Sangen, members of the fisheries union and other anti-dolphin hunting groups.<br /><br />The event, which will take place at 10 a.m., Nov. 2 at the Taiji Community Center, is being organized by a leader in the conservative Nihon Yonaoshikai and founder of the newly formed Association to Contemplate Taiji’s Dolphin Hunt. The purpose is to bring together city officials and the groups who oppose dolphin hunting with the hopes that they can find common ground. The event is open to the media.<br /><br />Earth Island has a long track record of working with local communities to develop viable alternatives to killing dolphins. Most recently the Earth Island team, led by O’Barry, worked with tribes in the Solomon Islands to end their drive hunts. Primitive and remote, dolphin teeth are so engrained in the local culture there that their teeth are used as currency. But now, after 450 years, the majority of tribes have agreed to stop.<br /><br />“When we first went to the Solomons, we didn’t know what to expect. For so many years, these local villagers have subsisted on dolphin meat,” explained David Phillips, Executive Director of Earth Island Institute. “Many people there didn’t know how toxic the meat was. After all, it’s a relatively new phenomena brought on by industrial pollution. Much like Taiji, the meat they were eating just 50 years ago didn’t contain the same levels of mercury.”<br /><br />In fact, its Japanese researchers who have done extensive testing on this issue - in Japan, and Taiji specifically - showing that the mercury levels present a serious danger to the health of the public. For research results, go to: <a href="http://www.savejapandolphins.org/pdf/MercuryReport.pdf.">http://www.savejapandolphins.org/pdf/MercuryReport.pdf.</a><br /><br />“However, in the Solomon’s they don’t just rely on dolphins for sustenance, they are significant part of their traditions and economy,” continued Phillips. “So we talked, we listened, and in time – working hand in hand with the villagers – we came up with solutions that are not only workable, but enable them to thrive. For instance, we are helping them develop an artisanal fishery and other steps for clean water and power for their villages.”<br /><br />It’s Earth Island’s hope that we can find a similar spirit of collaboration in Taiji.<br /><br />“There is a bright future for Taiji without the killing of dolphins,” Ric O’Barry added. “We hope Mayor Sangen has an open mind during this meeting and will see that we can work together for a better future for the dolphins and the people of Taiji.”</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-25455733131986424982010-10-22T18:05:00.000-07:002010-10-22T18:20:48.947-07:00Another Dolphin Slaughter in the Cove<b>By Ric O’Barry<br />Campaign Director<br />Save Japan Dolphins<br />Earth Island Institute</b><br /><br />Leilani Münter has been hanging in there in Taiji, following the dolphin killers. While many days have resulted in the drive hunt boats returning empty-handed to the harbor or not going out at all, on Oct. 16th, Leilani witnessed another heart-breaking slaughter of eight Risso’s dolphins in the Cove.<br /><br />You can see her YouTube video report here:<br /><br /><object width="320" height="192"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YCo394zLns8?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YCo394zLns8?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="192"></embed></object><br /><br />On October 14th in Taiji, Leilani was not going to pass up an opportunity to recognize the international Save Japan Dolphin Day demonstrations that were going on all around the planet.<br /><br />So, she got a bunch of roses and spread them on the Cove in honor of the many dolphins whose blood was shed in these waters through the years.<br /><br />But the local policemen intervened. They said she was littering with her roses!<br /><br />Leilani had to wade out into the Cove with another volunteer, Elora Malama, to retrieve the terrible roses. Leilani offered the soggy roses to the police and the Japanese Coastguard personnel there, but they refused to take them from her.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TMI4Bt--euI/AAAAAAAAAWk/50a9wVDO-YI/s1600/image002.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TMI4Bt--euI/AAAAAAAAAWk/50a9wVDO-YI/s400/image002.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531044894539152098" /></a><br /><br />Leilani Münter (right) and Elora Malama gather back up the roses they had scattered in the Cove in remembrance of the dolphins – the police insisted roses are litter and pollution, but dolphin blood appears to be OK.<br /><br />See her YouTube video of this act of defiance with roses:<br /><br /><object width="320" height="192"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wGY8K1c84gw?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wGY8K1c84gw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="192"></embed></object><br /><br />Leilani is on her way back home now, having done double-duty in Taiji. I thank her for her efforts for the dolphins – she and many others are making a real difference! Leilani says she is coming back to the Cove soon. Like our Save Japan Dolphins Team and me, Leilani is not going to give up until the killing stops.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-56418428377220213032010-10-19T21:10:00.000-07:002010-10-19T21:49:04.558-07:00Around the World, Millions of People Want to Save Japan Dolphins!<span style="font-weight:bold;">By Ric O’Barry<br />Campaign Director<br />Save Japan Dolphins<br />Earth Island Institute</span><br /><br />On October 14th, demonstrations were held in dozens of cities around the world, in front of Japanese Embassies and Consulate offices, urging the government of Japan to “Save Japan Dolphins”!<br /><br />I want to thank each and every one of the people who helped organize and who showed up at these events. The turnout was higher than any previous Save Japan Dolphins Day.<br /><br />A fun time was had by all. Here are some photos:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">MIAMI</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5trC2_QmI/AAAAAAAAAT8/dtprk5HxEzI/s1600/image002.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5trC2_QmI/AAAAAAAAAT8/dtprk5HxEzI/s400/image002.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529977978726859362" /></a><br /><br />A hundred demonstrators joined Ric in Miami to protest the dolphin slaughter.<br /><br /><b>TORONTO</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5t8kQ5tSI/AAAAAAAAAUE/npOv33Vqero/s1600/image004.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5t8kQ5tSI/AAAAAAAAAUE/npOv33Vqero/s400/image004.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529978279751693602" /></a><br /><br />Toronto’s event went on, despite the rain.<br /><br /><b>ISRAEL</b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5uP9IrMjI/AAAAAAAAAUM/2jE20hwbpdw/s1600/image006.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5uP9IrMjI/AAAAAAAAAUM/2jE20hwbpdw/s400/image006.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529978612845589042" /></a><br />Jacob (center of photo, behind photographer) organized his first demonstration ever in Israel. (Jacob has also just completed a website for Save Japan Dolphins in Russian and is working on one for Israel.)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5ugzQkpRI/AAAAAAAAAUU/3MoZR2BCRwg/s1600/image008.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5ugzQkpRI/AAAAAAAAAUU/3MoZR2BCRwg/s400/image008.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529978902252135698" /></a><br /><br />A young demonstrator in Israel and her sign.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">THE PHILIPPINES</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5uu2fXjmI/AAAAAAAAAUc/GlgoPXD-SoY/s1600/image010.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 232px; height: 175px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5uu2fXjmI/AAAAAAAAAUc/GlgoPXD-SoY/s400/image010.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529979143637667426" /></a><br />Led by Earth Island’s Trixie Concepcion, demonstrators in Manila were covered by several newspapers and television stations.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">PORTLAND</span><br /><br />Cars in Portland honk for demonstrators:<br /><br /><object width="320" height="192"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RXKEwdIYCx0?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RXKEwdIYCx0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="192"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">VIENNA</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5vPl6Xh1I/AAAAAAAAAUk/xk0JgKOGBvs/s1600/image012.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5vPl6Xh1I/AAAAAAAAAUk/xk0JgKOGBvs/s400/image012.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529979706123192146" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Japanese Embassy protest in Vienna, Austria. </span>Copyright Meik Ahmadian.</div><div><br /><br /><b>OTTAWA</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5vqPFSvdI/AAAAAAAAAUs/ruafyb1heMA/s1600/image014.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5vqPFSvdI/AAAAAAAAAUs/ruafyb1heMA/s400/image014.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529980163851468242" /></a><br />Geisha girls with tears of blood led the march in Ottawa to the Japanese Embassy.<br /><br /><br /><b>DENVER</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5wL6UAadI/AAAAAAAAAU0/wOsAXVUjFfs/s1600/image016.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5wL6UAadI/AAAAAAAAAU0/wOsAXVUjFfs/s400/image016.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529980742391589330" /></a><br /><br />Enthusiastic demonstrators in the mile-high city.<br /><br /><b>MELBOURNE</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5waQuA10I/AAAAAAAAAU8/F5yaufcpQ2E/s1600/image018.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5waQuA10I/AAAAAAAAAU8/F5yaufcpQ2E/s400/image018.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529980988924417858" /></a><br /><br />The Aussies demonstrating in Melbourne.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5wpA63wuI/AAAAAAAAAVE/xPdQ8jMDC_M/s1600/image020.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5wpA63wuI/AAAAAAAAAVE/xPdQ8jMDC_M/s400/image020.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529981242381419234" /></a><br /><br />A homemade sign in Australia for the Japanese government.<br /><br /><b>SEATTLE</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5w5OXY0GI/AAAAAAAAAVM/snfynA5v8rw/s1600/image022.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5w5OXY0GI/AAAAAAAAAVM/snfynA5v8rw/s400/image022.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529981520868593762" /></a><br /><br />Where else but in Seattle would protestors decorate umbrellas? A big turnout, with representatives of the Japanese Consulate coming out to view the protest.<br /><br /><br /><b>CAPETOWN</b><br /><br />A nice PSA was produced from the interesting Capetown demo:<br /><br /><object width="320" height="192"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d4zhk8TXH6Y?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d4zhk8TXH6Y?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="192"></embed></object><br /><br /><b>PHOENIX</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5xZtpH3lI/AAAAAAAAAVU/8W-ZGCRSPNc/s1600/image024.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5xZtpH3lI/AAAAAAAAAVU/8W-ZGCRSPNc/s400/image024.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529982079020293714" /></a><br /><br />Arizona dolphin-lovers gather to protest at the Japanese Friendship Park.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5xnnKY22I/AAAAAAAAAVc/Vzzjgc-L6CE/s1600/image026.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5xnnKY22I/AAAAAAAAAVc/Vzzjgc-L6CE/s400/image026.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529982317798939490" /></a><br /><br />Red roses for the dolphins in Phoenix.<br /><br /><b>EDINBURGH</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5x2tM8Q3I/AAAAAAAAAVk/5wKvmc2e0RM/s1600/image028.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5x2tM8Q3I/AAAAAAAAAVk/5wKvmc2e0RM/s400/image028.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529982577118298994" /></a><br /><br />The Scots make up for small numbers with BIG signs.<br /><br /><b>HONOLULU</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5yfktHX5I/AAAAAAAAAVs/tJGJyxKw0-4/s1600/image030.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 227px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5yfktHX5I/AAAAAAAAAVs/tJGJyxKw0-4/s400/image030.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529983279211962258" /></a><br /><br />Demonstrators at the gates in Honolulu on Oct. 14th.<br /><br /><br /><b>DETROIT</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5ywPAmTdI/AAAAAAAAAV0/l8K2sWxUe-Y/s1600/image032.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5ywPAmTdI/AAAAAAAAAV0/l8K2sWxUe-Y/s400/image032.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529983565445877202" /></a><br /><br />The Motor City shows how it’s done!<br /><br /><b>ROTTERDAM</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5y9JYKV_I/AAAAAAAAAV8/l5m3MNbkxdM/s1600/image034.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5y9JYKV_I/AAAAAAAAAV8/l5m3MNbkxdM/s400/image034.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529983787272394738" /></a><br /><br />Our friends in Holland outside the Japan Consulate in Rotterdam.<br /><br /><br /><b>SWITZERLAND</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5zIItgKBI/AAAAAAAAAWE/1xw-s_R4qko/s1600/image036.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5zIItgKBI/AAAAAAAAAWE/1xw-s_R4qko/s400/image036.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529983976072030226" /></a><br /><br />Our friend Hans Peter Roth, recently in Taiji, demonstrates in Switzerland with a few friends.<br /><br /><br /><b>JAKARTA</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5zVeEF8dI/AAAAAAAAAWM/B7HNnSkruiE/s1600/image038.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5zVeEF8dI/AAAAAAAAAWM/B7HNnSkruiE/s400/image038.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529984205142225362" /></a><br /><br />Simple signs, but profound message in Indonesia.<br /><br /><br /><b>SAN FRANCISCO</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5ziFdvJcI/AAAAAAAAAWU/jdbJWugIynU/s1600/image040.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5ziFdvJcI/AAAAAAAAAWU/jdbJWugIynU/s400/image040.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529984421877196226" /></a><br /><br />Earth Island’s big blue inflatable dolphin makes its annual appearance in downtown San Francisco. Photo by Michael Reppy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5zsp4kWnI/AAAAAAAAAWc/m3EbZPC7Wz0/s1600/image042.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TL5zsp4kWnI/AAAAAAAAAWc/m3EbZPC7Wz0/s400/image042.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529984603452103282" /></a><br /><br /><br />Young Adam presents a scroll to the Japanese Counsel in San Francisco representing 1.8 million signatures on our petition.<br /><br />You can see more video of the San Francisco event (thanks to Melissa Gonzalez of In Defense of Animals) here:<br /><br /><object width="320" height="192"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/clcS5PSLilI?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/clcS5PSLilI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="192"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br />Once again, a big THANK YOU to all!<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-69797573481833378822010-10-15T21:20:00.001-07:002010-11-11T00:36:36.386-08:00A First: Japan Dolphin Day in Tokyo<span style="font-weight: bold;">By Kyoko Tanaka<br />Tokyo, Japan</span><br /><br />In Tokyo, my colleague Tosh and I visited Nagata-cho, the national government office area in Tokyo, Japan, to submit petitions to the Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. In a short time, we collected 163 people's names. The important thing is that 150 of them are from the Wakayama region, which includes the town of Taiji. One Wakayama local is helping us. He will hand in this petition to the Governor of Wakayama Prefecture later this week. (The Governor approves local dolphin catching permits for Taiji.)<br /><br />After we handed in our petition to the Japan Fisheries Agency, Tosh and I were curious to check with the Whaling Department to ask the number for dolphins captured in Taiji this year. As soon as I said the word "Taiji", the whole floor's atmosphere changed immediately.<br /><br />We were soon escorted to a guest room. We had intended to ask question casually – Tosh and I have been gathering information on the numbers of dolphins involved in the drive hunts – but the staff prepared thick books of records and all the research papers.<br /><br />One person showed up whose name was Mr. Takaya -- he is the successor of Mr. Moronuki of the Fisheries Agency. He questioned us about why dolphins are so special, and started in again on the cows and pigs issue...sigh...(I have heard this argument a zillion times already...).<br /><br />But we had a good discussion with him for about an hour. We were surprised how much time he spent with us despite that fact that we did not make any appointment.<br /><br />Although the Fisheries Agency people have so much knowledge, their stance is strictly pro-whale hunting. They have already decided their stance.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TLkoQvt6YfI/AAAAAAAAASk/V5g0ZLZiego/s1600/image002.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TLkoQvt6YfI/AAAAAAAAASk/V5g0ZLZiego/s400/image002.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528494285726048754" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Kyoko (Kiki) Tanaka hands in her petition to save Japan dolphins to the Cabinet Office for the government of Japan in Tokyo, Oct. 14, 2010. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Photo by Tosh.</span></div><br />The only thing we can do is to educate people who have the potential to understand. Mr. Takaya said if there is no demand for dolphin meat, then the dolphin hunt will go extinct.<br /><br />To see that come true, we have to keep educating people here in Japan and around the world.<br /><br /><b>Ric O’Barry Comments:</b><br /><br />This is great work by Kiki (as we know Kyoko), Tosh and her friends in Japan. This could be the start of a grass-roots movement in Japan!<br /><br />We do not have to persuade government officials or anybody else. The cow and pig/cultural argument is a non-starter. It's a diversion from the one and only issue: The scientific FACT that the dolphin meat is contaminated and not fit for consumption cancels out all excuses for killing dolphins and other whales for their meat.<br /><br />The meat is poison and it's being sold to Japanese people. End of argument.<br /><br />Kiki has been a great help to our campaign in Japan for some time, often keeping a low profile but being very industrious. Her insights into Japanese culture have been extremely useful, and we consider her a good friend.<br /><br />We are proud of Kiki and the many Japanese people who are willing to oppose the dolphin slaughter under very difficult conditions.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-23434077290906389202010-10-13T19:57:00.000-07:002010-10-13T20:07:54.572-07:00From Leilani: Up Close at the Slaughterhouse in Taiji<span style="font-weight:bold;">By Ric O’Barry<br />Campaign Director<br />Save Japan Dolphins<br />Earth Island Institute</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">See Leilani’s YouTube video and stills:</span><br /><br /><object width="320" height="192"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rHnXyxo5NhY?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rHnXyxo5NhY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="192"></embed></object><br /><br />Leilani Münter, race car driver and volunteer for the dolphins, called me yesterday. She is in Taiji with a camera crew, checking out the Cove in Taiji as well as promoting eco-tourism in Japan. She is my personal representative for the dolphins at the Cove this week.<br /><br />By helping the local economy, we can help end the slaughter of dolphins – no one will want to visit Taiji if dolphins continue to be subject to the drive fishery. Taiji can be notorious for its dolphin slaughter, or it can be world renowned for the protection of dolphins and their ocean environment. It should be an easy choice.<br /><br />I spoke with Leilani via Skype on camera. We discussed the current status of the Cove and what Leilani was planning to do. We discussed the dolphins – the Taiji Four -- sent from Taiji to Egypt, and the horrible conditions under which they were kept there. I urged Leilani to go to the Taiji Whale Museum (which brokers the wild-caught dolphins) with her laptop to show the Museum the conditions under which these dolphins are now languishing, and how shameful the leadership of the Taiji Whale Museum should feel about being a party to this inhumane action. No self-respecting animal organization would ever let these kinds of conditions prevail, yet they are typical for Taiji’s dolphins!<br /><br />The Japan Times quoted the Taiji Whale Museum’s Hiromitsu Nambu, who arranges exports of live dolphins from Taiji: "Dolphins in Taiji are popular around the world because they are smart, and I personally think they have cute faces."<br /><br />The Taiji Four dolphins were sold to Egypt for $300,000 each! And they wound up in a filthy swimming pool that came close to killing them in Hurghada. For more on the story, go to:<br /><br /><a href="http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20101008x2.html">http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20101008x2.html</a><br /><br />Did I mention that Leilani is fearless? On Monday, the fishermen of Taiji herded a small pod of Risso’s dolphins into the Cove. They were slaughtered the next morning. Leilani braved the local slaughterhouse in Taiji to get some remarkable photos of these poor Risso’s dolphins. Let her tell the story:<br /><br />“I just got close up photos of them cutting up the dolphins inside the slaughterhouse,” Leilani reports. “They left a door slightly open, and I stuck my camera under it. One of the fishermen eventually spotted me from the grocery store across the street and shut me down, but I got them cutting off the dolphins’ fins and chopping up the torsos. Was one of the hardest things I have ever seen.”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">See Leilani’s YouTube video and stills:</span><br /><br /><object width="320" height="192"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rHnXyxo5NhY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rHnXyxo5NhY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="192"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />“It was absolutely horrific; I will never be the same,” Leilani concluded.<br /><br />Leilani is planning on being in Taiji for the rest of the week. You can follow her blog on her website:<br /><br /><a href="http://carbonfreegirl.com/index2.html">http://carbonfreegirl.com/index2.html</a><br /><br />We will be posting her reports here, too.<br /><br />Leilani is working to make a difference in the world. We can all help her and help the dolphins. Not everyone can go to Taiji, but everyone can watch The Cove movie, share it with their friends, and bring friends to our website to take action:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.SaveJapanDolphins.org">http://www.SaveJapanDolphins.org</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-61846113738318396132010-10-12T13:22:00.000-07:002010-10-12T13:44:01.986-07:00What: October 14th: International Save Japan Dolphins Day<div>A worldwide peaceful and lawful protest of the annual dolphin slaughter in Japan, as depicted in the Academy Award winning documentary The Cove and the Animal Planet series Blood Dolphins. The Japanese government issues 23,000 permits annually to coastal communities to kill dolphins of several species. A few are sold, at great profit, to aquariums and swim-with-dolphins programs around the world. The captive dolphin industry subsidizes the slaughter. The majority of the pod is then slaughtered for meat. But the meat is contaminated with outrageous amounts of mercury and other pollutants, exceeding the Japanese government’s own health limits. This is a human rights issue as much as an animal welfare issue.</div><div><br /></div><div>Demonstrations will be going on throughout the world in front of Japanese embassies and consulates on October 14th. Please join your fellow environmentalists and animal activists in protesting the hunts and urging Japan to switch to more sustainable and benign methods of profit, such as eco-tourism and dolphin-watching cruises. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>When:</b> Thursday, October 14th, Noon to 2 PM.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Where</b>: In front of Embassies and Consulates of the Government of Japan around the world. Below is a list of cities where events are planned along with contact information. If you don’t see your city, start your own event! Contact Shelby Proie, <a href="mailto:Shelby@savelolita.com">Shelby@savelolita.com</a>, for more information. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you can’t attend, please consider calling. Here is a list of all Embassies and Consulates with phone numbers:</div><div><a href="http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/mofaserv.html">http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/mofaserv.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><u>Participating Cities and nonprofit organizations::</u></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">UNITED STATES:</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Anchorage</b></div><div>Margaret -maggiekvet2b@aol.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Atlanta</b></div><div>David Drolet-<a href="http://rescuedolphins.wordpress.com/">http://rescuedolphins.wordpress.com/</a> rescuedolphins@comcast.net</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Boston</b></div><div>Lisa Yee, pagan_kitty05@yahoo.com</div><div>(NOTE: Boston will be having an alternate Japan Dolphin Day rally on 10/7 sponsored by WDCS, WSPA, CSI, and MARC from 12-2PM in front of the Japanese consulate)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Chicago: </b></div><div>Allie Presas, alpresas@sbcglobal.net; Cynthia Perez, kivrosdalai@yahoo.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Detroit</b></div><div>jylforsyth@gmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Denver: </b></div><div>Animal Rights Action Network and Emily Wolf</div><div>Contact: ann@animalrightsactionnetwork.org, newfylove@yahoo.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Honolulu</b></div><div>Courtney Vail, courtney.vail@wdcs.org</div><div>Wild Dolphin Foundation: keikibeachbungalows@gmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Houston </b></div><div>Houston Animal Rights Team (H.A.R.T.), vegan world radio</div><div>Contacts: Kara, amandalouisepetrie@gmail.com, port.ashley0@gmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Los Angeles </b></div><div>Contact: Julia Ramsey, ramseyjulia@gmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Miami: </b></div><div>Save Japan Dolphins and Oceanic Defense</div><div>Mary Jo Rice, mjrice@earthisland.org</div><div><br /></div><div><b>New York City</b></div><div>NY4Whales</div><div>Contact: tlwilliams@optonline.net</div><div><br /></div><div><b>San Diego</b></div><div>Daniela, danielaj_94@yahoo.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>San Francisco: </b></div><div>Earth Island Institute, In Defense of Animals, Orca Network, </div><div>Contact: Mary Jo Rice, mjrice@earthisland.org</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Seattle:</b></div><div>SaveJapanDolphins, EcoElements </div><div>Contact: orcaspirits@msn.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Philadelphia</b></div><div>Kevin Starbard, kstarbard@earthlink.net</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Portland</b></div><div>Rae Wilson-raemarie.wilson@comcast.net</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Tempe, AZ</b></div><div>Rockstar Rescue; For The Whale Of It</div><div>Contact: jamezblonde@gmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Washington DC: </b></div><div>Animal Welfare Institute and Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society International</div><div>CONTACT</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">CANADA:</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Calgary </b></div><div>Joanne Clarke joanne.clarke@gmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ottawa </b></div><div>Ottawa Animal Defense League</div><div>Contact: Sue Manns, ottawaanimaldefenseleague@hotmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Toronto</b></div><div>Ocean Activists United</div><div>Contact: Sarah Patrick, little-fizzle@hotmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Vancouver</b></div><div>tammara443777@hotmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">EUROPE:</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Barcelona, Spain</div><div>Coordinadora Proyecto Cetaceo Libre</div><div>Contact: Diana Morales, dmorales@hgt.es</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Berlin, Germany </b></div><div>Tom Hernan, Elisa Brongers</div><div>hernan@gmx.de</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Croatia: </b></div><div>Ocean Activists United - Zagreb Chapter </div><div>Mariana – Prijatelji zivotinja</div><div>mariana@prijatelji-zivotinja.hr</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Edinburgh, Scotland</b></div><div>lucas@ruzowitzky.dk</div><div><br /></div><div><b>London, England</b></div><div>Marine Connection and Karen Page, karen.4page@ntlworld.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Libson, Portugal</b></div><div>Natalie & Nori in conjunction with: <a href="http://www.chickswithsticks.org.uk/">www.chickswithsticks.org.uk</a>, <a href="http://www.s4cglobal.org/">www.s4cglobal.org</a>, <a href="http://www.beasonefoundation.org/">www.beasonefoundation.org</a>, <a href="http://www.soulsurfers.org/">www.soulsurfers.org</a></div><div>Contact: natalievfox@hotmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Paris, France</b></div><div>Vivamar Society-Ljubljana and Slovenija</div><div>vivamar.society@gmail.com</div><div>aurore.d.f@free.fr</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rome, Italy</b></div><div>Ente Nazionale Protezione Animali</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rotterdam, Netherlands </b></div><div>EDEV – Een DIER Een VRIEND, elisa.brongers@edev.nl</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Stockholm, Sweden</b></div><div>Izabelle Maelan, izabelle_91@hotmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Vienna, Austria</b></div><div>“Resistance for Peace” and Angelique Hackl</div><div>office@resistanceforpeace.org and angelique.hackl@gmx.at</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">MIDDLE EAST:</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Israel</b></div><div><a href="http://SaveJapanDolphins.ru/">SaveJapanDolphins.ru</a></div><div>Jacob Berelman, jacob@savejapandolphins.ru</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">ASIA PACIFIC:</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Taiji, Japan</b></div><div>Save Japan Dolphins</div><div>Leilani Munter, leilani@leilanimunter.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Auckland, New Zealand</b></div><div>Joshua Walker-Joshuawalker@timelesshost.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Bangkok, Thailand</b></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156971054323777">http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156971054323777</a></div><div>dolphindaydemo@gmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Brisbane, Australia</b></div><div>Robyn Price mokie485@optusnet.com.au</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Christchurch, New Zealand</b></div><div>Aaron Nolan, az.nolan@windowslive.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Canberra, Australia</b></div><div>Karin Klaus, karinklaus@hotmail.com</div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=132020196847829">http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=132020196847829</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hong Kong, China</b></div><div>Jess Chan, jesstychan@gmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Indonesia</b></div><div>Femke, jakartaanimalaid@gmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia</b></div><div>Dave, russellbanfield@sbcglobal.net</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Melbourne, Australia</b></div><div>Haans Silver, hsiver72@bigpond.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Perth, Australia</b></div><div>Melinda Reilly, melindareilly@iprimus.com.au</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Philippines</b></div><div>Trixie (EII)-, eiiphils@gmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sydney, Australia</b></div><div>Naomi Wong, creamriceking@gmail.com</div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123220707732441">http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123220707732441</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Wellington, New Zealand</b></div><div>Jarna Hamilton, j_arna@hotmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN:</span></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Argentina</b></div><div>Wild Earth Foundation</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Bahamas</b></div><div>EARTHCARE</div><div>sam@reearth.org</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Mexico City</b></div><div>SophreEarth-ie Cortina-sophiecortina@mac.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sao Paulo, Brazil</b></div><div>Jorge Perez and Aliança International do Animal ”AILA”-jorge@g3turismo.com.br and amadu10@terra.com.br</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">AFRICA:</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Cape Town, South Africa</b></div><div>Bahia Fitchen- bahiafitchen@yahoo.com</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Nigeria, Africa</b></div><div>Nigeria SPCA (Emmanuel Eyoh), nigveganimal@yahoo.com</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-53041011107818426392010-10-11T20:14:00.000-07:002010-10-11T20:20:54.506-07:00Egypt’s Taiji Four in a New Tank; Fight Continues Against the Dolphinarium<div><b>By Ric O’Barry</b></div><div><b>Campaign Director</b></div><div><b>Save Japan Dolphins</b></div><div><b>Earth Island Institute</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Wagby Saad, the owner of the four dolphins imported from Taiji (“The Taiji Four”) to Hurghada, Egypt, has finally transferred them to a somewhat bigger new tank (as opposed to his backyard swimming pool). It remains to be seen whether they will survive, as we believe they are not very healthy. The new tank is literally in the middle of the Eastern Sahara desert, open to dust, heat and UV radiation.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TLPS-eZgNhI/AAAAAAAAASE/QUtX3ZEMX9g/s1600/image002.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TLPS-eZgNhI/AAAAAAAAASE/QUtX3ZEMX9g/s400/image002.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526993138467485202" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">New dolphin tank in the Egyptian desert, under construction. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"> Photography by Kate Tomlinson.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Lincoln O’Barry and photographer Kate Tomlinson stayed up all night on the roof of a villa near the dolphin owner’s home, to capture the transfer of the dolphins to the new tank (and make sure the owner did not pull some trick). I was allowed inside the owner’s home to observe and represent HEPCA. Besides two disgruntled Mexican dolphin trainers and a vet, there was an ex-military Russian dolphin trainer (who seemed to be in charge) and a Russian vet. Dolphin trafficking is truly an international scam.</div><div><br /></div><div>The three thugs who attacked us on two separate occasions were also present. Their attack pit bull was missing. When I asked about the dog, they all insisted that they never had a pit bull! I was banned from taking photos inside the dolphin owner’s villa.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TLPTJk_efII/AAAAAAAAASM/ZFvoSRbkmrs/s1600/image004.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TLPTJk_efII/AAAAAAAAASM/ZFvoSRbkmrs/s400/image004.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526993329215929474" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>One of the Taiji Four in a swimming pool in Hurghada, Egypt. It’s fate and the fate of its pool mates is unknown.</b></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Photography by Kate Tomlinson.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>At the same time, new construction in the desert suggests that the owner is now building his new dolphinarium, which we strongly oppose.</div><div><br /></div><div>HEPCA, the local Egyptian environmental organization that has been in the forefront of efforts to stop the dolphin imports and the dolphinarium, is working hard to see if they can get local authorities to halt the construction. The Taiji Four should be the last dolphins ever shipped to Hurghada, given the very strong opposition from the local community, the mayor, and the governor of the Red Sea.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>Amr Ali, Executive Director of HEPCA, gave me a Red Sea Defender award for my help to them in opposing the dolphinarium and looking to the welfare of the Taiji Four.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TLPTd68cKPI/AAAAAAAAASc/RK0BX7NVJzE/s1600/image006.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TLPTd68cKPI/AAAAAAAAASc/RK0BX7NVJzE/s400/image006.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526993678706157810" /></a><br /></div><div>Amr Ali, ED of HEPCA, gives Ric an award for his dolphin work in Egypt. </div><div><br /></div><div>You can see my speech to HEPCA on YouTube:</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="320" height="192"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/H2XbyMLUnz4?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/H2XbyMLUnz4?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="192"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div>I have to leave for now, but HEPCA will continue the fight in Egypt. They have done a tremendous job for the dolphins. As I noted in a earlier blog, they have already gained a decree by the local government banning further imports of wild-caught dolphins to this area. If you would like to help the effort, you can sign their online petition:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/16/stop-dolphin-captivity-in-Egypt/">http://www.thepetitionsite.com/16/stop-dolphin-captivity-in-Egypt/ </a></div><div><br /></div><div>This will be an ongoing story, as we do not know the fate of the Taiji Four who are now part of the Sahara desert landscape. Our hope is to see them returned to Japan and set free one day. Not in Taiji, but in a place where dolphins are respected such as Mikurajima Island.</div><div><br /></div><div>And finally, SHAME on WAZA, (World Association of Zoos and Aquariums) for not policing their own industry. You can sign on to the WAZA petition here: </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/stop-the-dolphin-slaughter/">http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/stop-the-dolphin-slaughter/ </a></div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for all your support. Your donations to our Save Japan Dolphins Campaign helps me go to places all around the world, including Japan and the Solomon Islands, to fight for the protection of dolphins and whales.</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-91644605768161071242010-10-04T18:54:00.000-07:002010-10-04T19:04:55.186-07:00Good News and Not So Good News in Egypt<span style="font-weight:bold;">By Ric O’Barry<br />Campaign Director<br />Save Japan Dolphins<br />Earth Island Institute</span><br /><br />The local Hurghada Environment Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) and I have scored a great victory here in Egypt, but the fate of four captive dolphins is still up in the air. <div><br />The good news is that the Governor of The Red Sea district of Egypt has issued a ban on all future import of dolphins, cutting off the expected import of five more Taiji dolphins to a local business building a new dolphinarium here.<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 220px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKqF2swDDUI/AAAAAAAAARU/8ksPbakgg9Y/s400/image002.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524375067695451458" /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Four dolphins from Taiji in small backyard swimming pool in Hurghada, Egypt.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:x-small;">Photography by Kate Tomlinson.</span></div><br /><br />He also issued an ultimatum to the owner of four dolphins that had been imported from Taiji back in August: the dolphins must be moved to a new location that complies with national and international standards for care. We had hoped, of course, to somehow help these dolphins that are in poor health back into the wild, but so far that does not seem to be possible. The owner is now busily building a new dolphin pool in the middle of the desert to accommodate these dolphins. He has 48 hours to comply with the governor’s directive.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKqGQefNZEI/AAAAAAAAARc/2vo6RaL1-oo/s1600/image004.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 251px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKqGQefNZEI/AAAAAAAAARc/2vo6RaL1-oo/s400/image004.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524375510543328322" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><b>Ric and Lincoln O’Barry in Hurghada, Egypt. </b></span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Photography by Kate Tomlinson.</span></div><br />My son Lincoln and I, and our Animal Planet cameras, have been checking out the construction site. We also tried to check up on the health of the dolphins, but were stymied by the owner and his cronies. HEPCA, Lincoln, photographer Kate Tomlinson, and I were subject to threats by hired thugs – they even tried to steal our camera and set a pit bull on us!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKqGcyHWUYI/AAAAAAAAARk/OD-mhxy9fyU/s1600/image006.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 227px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKqGcyHWUYI/AAAAAAAAARk/OD-mhxy9fyU/s400/image006.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524375721970389378" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><b>A thug reaches for our camera in front of the home of the owner of four dolphins from Taiji.</b></span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; ">Photography by Kate Tomlinson.</span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKqGmnBfg1I/AAAAAAAAARs/YF2s6u5dkA4/s1600/image008.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 251px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKqGmnBfg1I/AAAAAAAAARs/YF2s6u5dkA4/s400/image008.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524375890791727954" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><b>A pit bull is set on Ric in front of the home of the owner of the four dolphins from Taiji.</b></span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; "> Photography by Lincoln O’Barry.</span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKqGxoX6S9I/AAAAAAAAAR0/4xO2c_sv4UY/s1600/image010.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKqGxoX6S9I/AAAAAAAAAR0/4xO2c_sv4UY/s400/image010.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524376080132754386" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><b>Ric O’Barry inspects the new dolphin pool construction in Hurghada, Egypt.</b></span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; "> Photography by Kate Tomlinson.</span></div><br />HEPCA received similar treatment when they tried to visit the dolphins to have them inspected and diagnosed by Dr. Pierre Gallego. When let in alone without HEPCA support, Dr. Gallego was unable to see the dolphins in the turbid swimming pool water (essentially these dolphins are swimming in their own excrement), nor could the dolphins be caught for blood samples. HEPCA’s representatives in their cars were surrounded by the thugs and threatened with violence.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKqG8p4X49I/AAAAAAAAAR8/NJL2r0SXAh8/s1600/image012.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 251px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKqG8p4X49I/AAAAAAAAAR8/NJL2r0SXAh8/s400/image012.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524376269515908050" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><b>Ric O’Barry diving in the Red Sea, Egypt, checking out a potential site for dolphins with clean sea water – unfortunately, the dolphinarium company rejected it. </b></span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; ">Photography by Kate Tomlinson.</span></div><br />Things are changing rapidly here, so who knows what will happen next? One thing for sure, I will file a formal complaint with the local police. We cannot allow the dolphinarium thugs to get away with these violent attacks!<br /><br />HEPCA continues the fight against a long-term dolphinarium, enlisting the support of the local community, hotels, dive shops, and other tourism businesses along the Red Sea, a premier dive area. Their grassroots activism is a good model for other places around the world fighting back against keeping dolphins in captivity. I salute them and thank them for their efforts.<br /><br />Tell your friends, family and neighbors to join the effort! As HEPCA has shown, the local governments can be made to listen to the public, and that is what our Save Japan Dolphins Campaign is all about – bringing grassroots pressure and education to bear against the government agencies that allow these travesties to happen.<br /><br />The dolphins depend on us to protect them! I hope you will join me in supporting our Campaign efforts.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-34357765541718834062010-09-30T20:39:00.000-07:002010-09-30T20:44:54.833-07:00Ric In Egypt to Help Dolphins Exported from Taiji<b>By Ric O’Barry</b><br /><div><b>Campaign Director</b></div><div><b>Save Japan Dolphins</b></div><div><b>Earth Island Institute</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I am in Hurghada, Egypt, where four dolphins from Taiji were sent to populate a new oceanarium being built here. Unfortunately, five more dolphins have been ordered from Taiji. These dolphins are still in Taiji, and there is a chance that we can stop the export.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKVYP8ljGAI/AAAAAAAAARE/9mHw3fnPnlU/s1600/image002.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 251px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKVYP8ljGAI/AAAAAAAAARE/9mHw3fnPnlU/s400/image002.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522917549024679938" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ric in Egypt.</b> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"> Photography by Kate Tomlinson, Sept. 2010.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The four dolphins here in the desert are in depressing conditions. They are in a small backyard swimming pool. We need to get them out of there, but it is not easy. A local organization HEPCA, that opposes all dolphinariums in Egypt, is working to block the opening of the new facility and to stop the import of wild dolphins from Taiji. </div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>You can see a short video clip from HEPCA on this issue in Egypt in this Youtube video:</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="320" height="192"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uiLndVeDW4Q?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uiLndVeDW4Q?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="192"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKVYf0_5sxI/AAAAAAAAARM/fBA1aj2fD0U/s1600/image004.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKVYf0_5sxI/AAAAAAAAARM/fBA1aj2fD0U/s400/image004.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522917821865636626" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ric checking out new excavation for a dolphin pool in Egypt. </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Photography by Kate Tomlinson, Sept. 2010.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I am here to help. I have meetings with many local government officials to urge them to write to the Mayor of Taiji to stop the imports of dolphins.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>More details to follow.</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-41967714367214722452010-09-29T19:58:00.001-07:002010-09-29T20:05:16.935-07:00Divers Attempt to Free Captive Dolphins in Taiji<div><b>By Ric O’Barry</b></div><div><b>Save Japan Dolphins</b></div><div><b>Earth Island Institute</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div> </div><div>An organization called “The Black Fish”, based in Germany, is claiming responsibility for cutting nets in six holding pens in Taiji harbor, attempting to free the captive dolphins being held for aquariums. Local Shingu police claim the cuts in the nets were too small for any dolphins to actually escape.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>We are working to verify the situation. The Japan Fisheries Agency will certainly try to portray the dolphin killers as sympathetic characters being harassed and violated by “extremist” Westerners. </div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>We have no connection to “The Black Fish”, and we intend to continue our job of reaching the Japanese public with the message that the dolphin killing and related captures must stop. Based on this incident, it is likely that the situation in Taiji will get more dangerous.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKP9B0f2L8I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/TCBl_okpAi0/s1600/image002.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKP9B0f2L8I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/TCBl_okpAi0/s400/image002.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522535775800274882" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hans Peter Roth with our Save Japan Dolphins Team at the Cove in Taiji, Sept. 27, 2010.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile our Save Japan Dolphins team member Hans Peter Roth reports from Taiji that due to stormy weather, no dolphin hunts have taken place for the past week. For now, the infamous Cove remains free of any dolphins. But we cannot depend on the weather, or rare incidents of cutting nets, to keep the Cove empty of dolphins for good.</div><div><br /></div><div>That is up to you and me and our continuing efforts in Japan. We won’t quit until we succeed.</div><div> </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKP9MH3YuBI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/fR_V1t1IuB8/s1600/image004.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TKP9MH3YuBI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/fR_V1t1IuB8/s400/image004.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522535952797972498" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hans Peter Roth at the Cove in Taiji, Sept. 27, 2010.</span></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-15514726879470747442010-09-26T15:20:00.000-07:002010-09-26T15:22:45.719-07:00Defiance In Japan -- first dolphin kill at Taiji<div><b>by Ric O’Barry</b></div><div><b>Campaign Director</b></div><div><b>Save Japan Dolphins</b></div><div><b>Earth Island Institute</b></div><div><br /></div><div>It’s with a heavy heart that I write today’s post. Despite all our efforts and despite the worldwide condemnation of the cruel dolphin slaughter, the Japanese government remains defiant and has allowed the first dolphin kill of this season at Taiji.</div><div><br /></div><div>This defies all logic, both because of the brutal inhumane abuse of dolphins and because it is now proved that the dolphin meat is poison -- containing dangerous levels of mercury.</div><div><br /></div><div>Throughout the first month of the season several captures have taken place with select dolphins retained for export to zoos and aquariums. The rest of the pod were released back into the wild. However, a few days ago one group of 15 Risso's dolphins was brutally killed and taken to the slaughterhouse.</div><div><br /></div><div>I can't tell you how angry this makes me. And I know it makes you angry, too. Many of you will be frustrated, but I don’t want you to lose hope. I also am more convinced than ever that our campaign to generate worldwide pressure for an end to the slaughter is right and must succeed. </div><div><br /></div><div>We must be vigilant and turn up the heat. The Japan government's defiance must not be allowed to stand.</div><div><br /></div><div>Change does not happen overnight, and we have only just started to get the word out to the Japanese people.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are working to keep people on the ground in Taiji to monitor the Cove and report back to the world. Take a look at this video done by one of our dedicated volunteers, Leilani Münter:</div><div><br /></div><object width="320" height="192"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mkH8xXaTSRw?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mkH8xXaTSRw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="192"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We are also ramping up efforts with our Japanese distributor to get thousands of copies of the Japanese version of the movie The Cove into the hands of the Japanese public so that they can build pressure internally. </div><div><br /></div><div>Recently several Japanese people who have seen The Cove or heard about our work have begun coming to Taiji for the first time ever – our Save Japan Dolphins Team members there have been talking with them. They want to understand just what is happening there, and this is a very positive step. The Japanese people themselves can end the slaughter, especially if the Japan government can no longer hide the killing from them.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of our volunteers in Tokyo recently interviewed several people about The Cove and the dolphin slaughter – she found all of them had now heard about the issue, quite a change from just a few months ago when nobody knew anything about the dolphin hunts.</div><div><br /></div><div>US President Barack Obama is going to Japan in November. We are moving quickly to get him and his administration to urge attention to this matter. We'll provide more details on this in the days ahead.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you can donate to help this work continue, it is most appreciated. Go to:</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://www.savejapandolphins.org/donate.php">http://www.savejapandolphins.org/donate.php</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Check out our blog for more details of the Save Japan Dolphin Day activities on October 14th and other updates.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for your help and continued effort to make the waters safe for dolphins.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks!</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-1771941104813824552010-09-23T16:05:00.000-07:002010-09-24T15:05:10.261-07:00Leilani Münter’s Youtube Japan Dolphins Trip<div><b>By Ric O’Barry</b></div><div><b>Campaign Director</b></div><div><b>Save Japan Dolphins</b></div><div><b>Earth Island Institute</b></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>One of the participants in our recent week of great events in Tokyo was Leilani Münter. Leilani is part Japanese, part German, and one of our most enthusiastic and delightful volunteers. She also races NASCAR, using only green companies as sponsors, and is involved in developing a new TV series.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Leilani and her husband, Craig (who we learned is called “Kiwi” for his New Zealand homeland), have put together a great Youtube slide show about their experiences in Tokyo and Taiji with Save Japan Dolphins. She used a new song, “Whales Can Sing”, by Duncan Walsh and the Watanabes, a music group based in Japan who is also helping us out. Check out this great show:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><object width="320" height="192"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mkH8xXaTSRw?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mkH8xXaTSRw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="192"></embed></object><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal; ">You can watch Leilani race her car (and spot our Save Japan Dolphins logo on her car and her racing suit) in the US at the Kansas Speedway on the SPEED Channel on Sept 30 at 4pm EST. She will be driving the #59 Operation Free racecar in the ARCA race (it will be the only car with decals of wind turbines and solar panels on it!)</span></span>.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span></div><div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TJveKeY7rAI/AAAAAAAAAQk/REbeVkxaVMs/s1600/image002.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TJveKeY7rAI/AAAAAAAAAQk/REbeVkxaVMs/s400/image002.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520250039810370562" /></a><br /></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>And she will be, by the way, the only woman in that race.</div><div><br /></div><div>We met many wonderful people from around the world during these events in Japan, and we will be introducing more of them to you in future Blogs. We also hope many of you will join us for upcoming events.</div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TJveZyGa_tI/AAAAAAAAAQs/JRswIfOreIU/s1600/image004.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TJveZyGa_tI/AAAAAAAAAQs/JRswIfOreIU/s400/image004.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520250302799478482" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Ric O’Barry flanked by Leilani Münter and Craig “Kiwi” Davidson in Tokyo.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"> Photo by Mark J. Palmer.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>For more on Leilani, go to: <a href="http://leilanimunter.com/EcoDreamNeverKnow">http://leilanimunter.com/EcoDreamNeverKnow</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-17254581132652988422010-09-16T23:37:00.000-07:002010-09-16T23:40:25.834-07:00Join Us for the Dolphins on October 14th!<span style="font-weight: bold;">By Ric O’Barry<br />Campaign Director<br />Save Japan Dolphins<br />Earth Island Institute</span><br /><br /><br />This is a special invitation for you to join our worldwide <span style="font-weight: bold;">Save Japan Dolphins Day</span> rallies around the world in front of Embassies and Consulates of the government of Japan.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">When: Thursday, October 14th, Noon to 2 PM.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Where: In front of Embassies and Consulates of the Government of Japan around the world.</span><br /><br />Go to this link to find the nearest rally, or start one of your own. E-mail the contact person to get information about the event and to see how you can help:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.savelolita.com/2010/09/07/japan-dolphin-day-miami-protest-for-whales-and-dolphins/">http://www.savelolita.com/2010/09/07/japan-dolphin-day-miami-protest-for-whales-and-dolphins/</a><br /><br />Here are the locations of International Japanese Embassies & Consulates:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/mofaserv.html">http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/mofaserv.html</a><br /><br /> If you would like to host a rally in your city, contact:<br /><br />Shelby Proie, <a href="mailto:Shelby@savelolita.com">Shelby@savelolita.com</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What: Save Japan Dolphins Day </span><br /><br />A worldwide peaceful and lawful protest of the annual dolphin slaughter in Japan, as depicted in the Academy Award winning documentary The Cove and the Animal Planet series <span style="font-style: italic;">Blood Dolphins</span>. The Japanese government issues 23,000 permits annually to coastal communities to kill dolphins of several species. A few are sold, at great profit, to aquariums and swim-with-dolphins programs around the world. The captive dolphin industry subsidizes the slaughter. The majority of the pod is then slaughtered for meat. But the meat is contaminated with outrageous amounts of mercury and other pollutants, exceeding the Japanese government’s own health limits. This is a human rights issue as much as an animal welfare issue.<br /><br /> Demonstrations will be going on throughout the world in front of Japanese embassies and consulates on October 14th. Please join your fellow environmentalists and animal activists in protesting the hunts and urging Japan to switch to more sustainable and benign methods of profit, such as eco-tourism and dolphin-watching cruises (ironically becoming more popular in Japan every year).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Please join us in protesting the dolphin slaughter.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Please pass this information on to your own network of friends and relatives. Spread the word!</span><br /><br />For more information on the issue, you can go to our website:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.SaveJapanDolphins.org">http://www.SaveJapanDolphins.org</a><br /><br />Thanks for coming out and supporting Save Japan Dolphins Day!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-58582229206848854262010-09-13T23:29:00.000-07:002010-09-13T23:36:52.244-07:00The Latest from Taiji: More Dolphins Released<span style="font-weight:bold;">By Ric O’Barry<br />Campaign Director<br />Save Japan Dolphins<br />Earth Island Institute</span><br /><br /> Hans Peter Roth and Kyoko Tanaka, members of our Save Japan Dolphins Team from, respectively, Switzerland and Japan, are in Taiji now, checking the activity in the infamous Cove.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TI8WrrySpSI/AAAAAAAAAQM/ZU7MVBKMhEk/s1600/image002.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 373px; height: 280px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TI8WrrySpSI/AAAAAAAAAQM/ZU7MVBKMhEk/s400/image002.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516653008295994658" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Hans Peter Roth at the Cove in Taiji. </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Kyoko Tanaka, Sept. 12, 2010.</span></div><br /><br /> Three days ago, they watched as a pod of nine Risso’s dolphins were herded into the Cove. Once again, five were kept for captivity purposes and transferred to pens at the Taiji Whale Museum, and four were released back. The “no-kill” policy we have seen so far this season, since Sept. 1st, has held. But will it continue to hold?<br /><br /> Hans Peter reports:<br /><br /> “There is no Sunday holiday for dolphin hunters. If the weather is right and the sea is calm, out they go in their thirteen boats for the hunt. Just like yesterday, the 12th of September. Banging on pipes they thrust into the water, they drove about fifty-to-sixty bottlenose dolphins into the Cove. This is by far the largest catch of dolphins this season up to now. So far, at least a dozen or more dolphins have been pulled from their families to be put in captivity.<br /><br />“Kyoko and I have been on location to document and count. So have other organizations, and so have the police to watch over things. (Ric talked with the police via my computer on Skype from Miami: He offered to show them his passport, which got a laugh from the police.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TI8W1OQF1BI/AAAAAAAAAQU/1C1trpC1_Qc/s1600/image004.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 235px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TI8W1OQF1BI/AAAAAAAAAQU/1C1trpC1_Qc/s400/image004.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516653172166611986" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b> Police at the Cove in Taiji. </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> Photo by Hans Peter Roth, Sept. 13, 2010.</span></div><br /><br />“Yesterday, we were also joined by a new group of the ultra-nationalists in their black cars, so things are tense with all the crowd on the beach watching the dolphin trainers and the dolphin killers at work. The nationalists have been blasting us with their loudspeakers, complaining about us (like “Americans should apologize for Hiroshima and Nagasaki” and claims “The Cove” movie is “anti-Japanese”). But the police presence should be enough to avoid problems – they are as always very professional and fair. They escorted us to our rental car when we temporarily left to re-charge batteries.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TI8W-PD3KoI/AAAAAAAAAQc/INiaYEjwSOo/s1600/image006.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TI8W-PD3KoI/AAAAAAAAAQc/INiaYEjwSOo/s400/image006.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516653327002577538" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Bottlenose dolphins behind nets in the Cove at Taiji. About 15 were kept for captivity; the rest were released and herded back to sea.</b> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Kyoko Tanaka, September 12, 2010.</span></div><br /><br />Late on Monday afternoon, Hans Peter and Kyoko reported that the remaining dolphins in the pod, held since Sunday, were finally released back into the wild. About fifteen of their family members – mostly young females – will spend the rest of their lives in small aquariums and/or swim-with-dolphins programs.<br /><br />Hans Peter reports:<br /><br />“I returned alone to the cove about 2 pm. Things had completely quieted down. The nationalists had gone. But still five police cars were parked there. I had come not a moment too soon. Fishermen were just about to open the last, outermost net that had sealed off the Cove, as I unpacked the camera. Six hunting boats took position outside the cove. At first the bottlenose dolphins did not realize that they were free. Then they did and started taking off slowly, then ever faster. The hunting boats started driving them out to sea in a sort of reverse drive hunt, but not as violently as they had driven them in the day before. In the end the dolphins were just literally flying towards the open ocean, thrashing up a lot of white water. This could be seen for miles before they disappeared towards the horizon.“<br /><br />The “no-kill” policy continues to be in effect in Taiji.<br /><br />You can help by signing our online petitions, and getting your friends and family to sign as well. We are already at 1.8 million signatures and counting. If you are on Facebook, you can sign:<br /><br /><a href="http://apps.facebook.com/causes/petitions/252">http://apps.facebook.com/causes/petitions/252</a><br /><br />For those who have trouble signing on Facebook, we have another petition at:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/724/210/624/">http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/724/210/624/</a><br /><br />Thanks to all of you for your support of our Campaign. Your donations help us field people like Kyoko and Hans Peter at the Cove to report to us the status of the dolphin hunts. We are also planning our next rounds of events and media activities to spread the truth in Japan about the dolphin hunts.<br /><br />I’ll be going back to Japan soon, as will other members of our Save Japan Dolphins Team, so stay tuned here to find out the latest on our continuing efforts to end the dolphin slaughter.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-36736576380796980082010-09-07T22:08:00.001-07:002010-09-07T22:17:48.251-07:00Update from Taiji and a Talk to the Media in Tokyo<span style="font-weight: bold;">By Ric O’Barry<br />Campaign Director<br />Save Japan Dolphins<br />Earth Island Institute</span><br /><br />According to our volunteers in Taiji, on Sunday the dolphin drive boats went out and found ten bottlenose dolphins, which were herded into the Bay near Taiji. One major change from previous trips (an alternative which some of our people observed towards the end of last year’s season in March 2010): There is a floating dock with sea pens in the middle of the Bay, well away from the Cove depicted in the documentary. It appears that the fishermen, in order to elude hidden cameras, are now using this floating dock for dolphins.<br /><br />On Monday morning, reportedly five dolphins were kept for captivity and the remaining five were released back into freedom, a partial victory for us as the “no kill” policy appears to remain in effect.<br /><br />But as we saw last year, this “no kill” policy is unlikely to remain in place. We must continue our efforts to keep the pressure on the dolphin killers and the Japanese government to end the slaughters and all of the dolphin captures once and for all.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Good Showing at the FCCJ:</span><br /><br />I was made an honorary member of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan when I was in Tokyo last year. So on Monday, I addressed a luncheon there of foreign and Japanese correspondents about the dolphin slaughter and our efforts last week, and gave them a peek at the new Animal Planet TV series, “Blood Dolphins”, produced and directed by my son, Lincoln O’Barry.<br /><br />I was pleased by the reaction in the Japanese media. Stories about my talk were accurate and gave me a good forum for talking to the Japanese people about the slaughter. There were tough questions, but apparently the Japanese media liked my responses. The “confrontation” approach of “Us vs. Them” of previous media stories was gone.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIcafeWcpvI/AAAAAAAAAP8/b00S7IaEFpU/s1600/image001.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 348px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIcafeWcpvI/AAAAAAAAAP8/b00S7IaEFpU/s400/image001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514405396763944690" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ric O’Barry addresses the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan on Sept. 6th. </span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo by Miyuki Takamatsu.</span><br /></div><br /><a href="http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/dolphin-activist-ric-obarry-wont-swim-off-into-the-sunset">Here is a good example in English</a> on the “Japan Today” website.<br /><br />This is why I have avoided confronting the Japanese dolphin killers or breaking Japanese laws. It is easy to break such laws, but doing so damages your credibility beyond repair among mainstream Japanese. I have worked hard to get the Japanese media to understand that I am not condemning the Japanese people nor Japan’s culture. I am only condemning the slaughter of dolphins, and I believe I have positive alternatives, such as ecotourism, to offer the people of Taiji and other communities in Japan that still slaughter dolphins.<br /><br />A number of our volunteers this past week in Tokyo, for example, went down to the coastal village of Futo and went dolphin-watching with Mr. Ishi, a former dolphin hunter who now runs an ecotourism business. Futo fishermen used to slaughter thousands of dolphins, but have not caught any since 2004. Mr. Ishi has shown the way for dolphin killers to become dolphin lovers, without anywhere near the labor required to herd and slaughter the mammals.<br /><br />I hope the Japanese media is beginning to “get it” – Japanese local communities can benefit far more from eco-tourism, sustainable fishing practices, and being open to foreign visitors than they can from running secretive dolphin-killing ventures. And Japan can avoid another Minamata-style disaster with mercury poisoning if it stops the sale of contaminated dolphin meat.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Phone Calls Jam Japan Embassy Lines:</span><br /><br />Last week, while I was leading our volunteers and talking to the Japanese media about the dolphin hunts and presenting 1.7 million signatures to the US Embassy in Tokyo, our Save Japan Dolphins Team launched an online campaign for our Facebook supporters, urging them to call the Japanese Embassy in Washington DC and other countries.<br /><br />They flooded the US Embassy and also called Embassies and Consulates in New York, Seattle, Ottawa, London, Nashville and Denmark, and others I'm sure. Our team stressed that they be polite and respectful, and some reported that they had nice conversations - at least one person at a Japanese Embassy had no idea of the hunts and was appalled to hear about it!<br /><br />This is the kind of combined outside pressure and inside pressure that will, together, end the dolphin hunts in Japan. No government can long withstand this level of opposition to their basic policies that hurt their own people. We can end this dolphin slaughter by pledging to remain active until it stops and never give up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIcbR2WXMDI/AAAAAAAAAQE/yIzdoAOk2K8/s1600/image003.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 381px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIcbR2WXMDI/AAAAAAAAAQE/yIzdoAOk2K8/s400/image003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514406262199496754" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ric’s autograph.</span> <br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo by Miyuki Takamatsu.<br /></span></div><br />My thanks and the thanks of our whole Save Japan Dolphins Team to all those who called the Embassies and Consulates. If you have not done so yet, I urge you to do so now and politely ask them to end the dolphin hunts in Japan.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-85346288435671720562010-09-04T11:28:00.000-07:002010-09-04T11:39:11.321-07:00Earth Island Volunteers in Taiji -- Dolphins Released; None Slaughtered!<span style="font-weight: bold;">by Ric O'Barry<br />Campaign Director<br />Save Japan Dolphins<br />Earth Island Institute</span><br /><br />We have several small, but I think, significant victories today to report.<br /><br />I chose not to go to Taiji this trip in order not to inflame an intense situation and give the Japan media an excuse to focus on the controversy rather than the true issues. The first part of our mission was to make the world and especially the Japanese people aware that the annual dolphin slaughter has begun once again. After all, the media is based here in Tokyo, not in Taiji. It is very difficult to get the media, especially Japanese media, to travel to the remote, isolated location of Wakayama Prefecture, about a 7-hour train ride from Tokyo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIKQHbZ42XI/AAAAAAAAAPk/3Zfe_kxRBFY/s1600/Ric+%26+Shinto+Hakone+9-10.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIKQHbZ42XI/AAAAAAAAAPk/3Zfe_kxRBFY/s400/Ric+%26+Shinto+Hakone+9-10.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513127351144733042" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ric at a Shinto Shrine near Tokyo. </span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo (c) Mark J. Palmer</span><br /></div><br />Our strategy has proven extremely successful, as our efforts in Tokyo have been featured on international wire services. Every major media outlet in Japan covered our presentation of 1.7 million signatures to the US Embassy on Thursday. Just as important, the Japanese media reported our work as respectful of the Japanese people, building the foundations for our Campaign's success. In the past, they have emphasized confrontation rather than our very careful approach to the issues. Our fight is not with the people of Japan. We have turned up the heat in Japan and turned another corner in getting positive media coverage, thwarting the Japan Fisheries Agency's efforts to paint us as the enemy.<br /><br />Now, millions of people in Japan are hearing, most for the first time, about the dolphin slaughter, precisely what the Japan Fisheries Agency has successfully covered up in this country for decades. (But we are still having trouble conveying the dangers of mercury poisoning, which is a major part of our Save Japan Dolphins Campaign opposing the dolphin killing in Japan. So far, the media in Japan has done little to convey this important information to Japanese consumers.)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIKRJHZkIeI/AAAAAAAAAPs/k8mO5BTTFu4/s1600/Dol+Demo+Tokyo+9-2-10.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIKRJHZkIeI/AAAAAAAAAPs/k8mO5BTTFu4/s400/Dol+Demo+Tokyo+9-2-10.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513128479646032354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Impromptu demonstration to Save Japan Dolphins at Shibuya Station, Tokyo.</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo (c) Mark J. Palmer</span><br /></div><br />If enough people around the world and in Japan learn about this barbaric and anachronistic dolphin slaughter, we can stop it once and for all.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIKRw4kMbCI/AAAAAAAAAP0/5cZ_YxnV-8I/s1600/Whale+Meat+Hotel+9-10.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIKRw4kMbCI/AAAAAAAAAP0/5cZ_YxnV-8I/s400/Whale+Meat+Hotel+9-10.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513129162858851362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Canned whale meat in our hotel vending machine in Tokyo.</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo(c) Mark J. Palmer</span><br /></div><br />But, despite our Tokyo focus, we have not neglected the dolphins in Taiji. On Sept. 1st, the first day of the hunt season, the dolphin drive boats went out, but returned without any dolphins. On Sept. 2nd, though, the fishermen herded 20 dolphins into Taiji. It looked like another tragedy was unfolding.<br /><br />Fourteen of our volunteers here with us in Tokyo went down to Taiji, and are still there on the ground, watching and walking around town. The decision was their's to go -- we did not encourage them and informed them of the dangers and advised them of their best steps. We will have other watchers down in Taiji during the seven-month hunt season this year.<br /><br />Once our volunteers arrived on the afternoon of Sept. 3rd, Taiji was oddly like a ghost town. At the notorious Cove, several of our volunteers were questioned by police who showed up in minutes. But, as usual, the police were very professional and, once questions were answered and they warned against breaking any laws, they left our volunteers alone. Several volunteers asked if they could go up to Tsunami Park, which overlooks the killing Cove from the movie. At first the police said no, but finally agreed to let them go. Our volunteers, up on the overlook of the killing Cove, saw no dolphins nor was there any blood around. Several friends arrived a bit later and reported the same thing -- polite police, no dolphin killers, and no dolphins.<br /><br />What happened to the dolphins caught the day before?<br /><br />We learned later that apparently our Campaign and the intense media scrutiny was too much. Several dolphins were kept by the fishermen and the Taiji Whale Museum for captive purposes. They will be condemned to a life of imprisonment away from their families. But the fishermen released the majority of the dolphins on Sept. 3rd.<br /><br />There was no dolphin slaughter, and no blood was shed in the Cove.<br /><br />The drive boats went out this morning, but again came back without any dolphins.<br /><br />If you wil recall, the Taiji fishermen did the same thing last year in the two months or so of the dolphin-hunting season. Our Save Japan Dolphins Team were in Taiji, and the fishermen caught a large number of bottlenose dolphins and then released them, after keeping several for captivity.<br /><br />Now, we know that last year the fishermen eventually returned to killing and butchering other species, such as pilot whales, Risso's dolphins, false killer whales, and others, including some bottlenose dolphins. We believe our Campaign pressure reduced the total number of dolphins killed in the Cove that year, but we are not sure. The kill statistics are held closely by the Japanese Fisheries Agency, which has so far refused to release them to our Japanese partners. But the killing still continued last year, and we believe the killing will continue again this season, likely once the interest of the media dies down.<br /><br />We also had a nice little victory for whales yesterday. One of our volunteers, Craig Davidson (whom we all call "Kiwi" from New Zealand and husband of the lovely NASCAR driver Leilani Munter), found canned whale meat for sale in the vending machines in our hotel lobby. On Thursday night, we bought two cans and gave them to Boyd Harnell, a reporter with "The Japan Times", to have them tested. Then on Friday morning, Mark Berman of our Save Japan Dolphins Team went to the hotel management to tell them about the whale meat, complain about its presence, and that it was a potential problem if American visitors tried to bring some back to the US (a violation of the US Endangered Species Act). A bit to our surprise, the hotel management immediately took out all the remaining cans of whale meat in the machine and said they would talk to the vendor who owned the machine. Hopefully, the meat will be rejected in the future by the hotel! One of our volunteers here in Japan will be checking back periodically to make sure the whale meat stays out.<br /><br />It is a small step, but shows that individuals can have an impact, even in whale-eating Japan!<br /><br />My deepest thanks to all our volunteers, including those who went down to Taiji under difficult and potentially dangerous conditions. They are a brave bunch, and I love them all.<br /><br />And thanks again to all our donors who made this trip possible. You have really helped with these crucial next steps in our Campaign. We have a couple of small victories here in Japan -- we hope you share our joy in them, and that you are with us in seeing this Campaign through to the end.<br /><br />You can help: <a href="https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=59a67b"> Click Here to Donate</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-60367229020452839182010-09-02T19:08:00.000-07:002010-09-02T19:23:28.480-07:00Major Media Coverage of 1.7 Million Signatures in Tokyo!<span style="font-weight: bold;">by Ric O'Barry</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Campaign Director</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Save Japan Dolphins</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Earth Island Institute</span><br /><br />Today was our big day to make a splash in the media in Tokyo about protecting dolphins. And we succeeded.<br /><br />We have kept our presence fairly quiet up until yesterday, Sept. 1st, the start of the bloody dolphin hunting season. We needed to keep a low profile in order to avoid pulling out the extreme nationalist groups in protest. While the threat of violence is very low here in Tokyo, the major problem would be us all getting kicked out of our hotel. The nationalist groups make a lot of noise with bullhorns and trucks with loudspeakers, and they basically make life unlivable for Japanese people. They could cause a lot of grief to our hotel, and the hotel would in turn blame us. (Indeed, we already have run into several problems with our hotel. For example, we had planned on having interviews with media in my room, but that was canceled when the hotel staff found out what we were doing. Now I have to go to TV studios or do press interviews in coffee shops around the area, rather than stay in my hotel)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIBaZe83zSI/AAAAAAAAAPE/HMbQSgfzpNM/s1600/Tokyo+USEmbassy+9-2-10.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIBaZe83zSI/AAAAAAAAAPE/HMbQSgfzpNM/s400/Tokyo+USEmbassy+9-2-10.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512505337753095458" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So today, we began by bringing all our international volunteers to a plaza near the US Embassy. The Japanese police, charged with protecting the Embassy, would not let us get too close with our crowd, but we had TV cameras and print journalists from all the major Tokyo media outlets, so our message went out nationally today to the people of Japan. Our volunteers from around the world, holding flags representing the 151 countries from which we garnered 1.7 million signatures on our online petitions, were lined up. Several held strands of origami dolphins prepared by artist Peggy Oki, and we also had several inflated dolphin balloons for the cameras. I unfurled our long petition -- about 15 feet long -- for the cameras.<br /><br />I told the dozens of reporters that we were here to ask the Obama Administration to help end the killing of dolphins. The Obama folks can talk to their counterparts in the Japanese government, telling them just how damaging the dolphin hunt is. I urged President Obama, when he comes to Japan in November, to talk to the new Japanese Prime Minister about dolphins and mercury. The government of Japan must take care of its natural biological heritage as well as the health of its people.<br /><br />(The government in Japan is in flux now with elections coming in two short weeks. For this reason, our partner organizations in Japan advised us to hold off trying to present our petition to the Japanese Ministry of Health (which handles issues of food contamination) and the Ministry of Fisheries. We will go to them when the time is right, and we will have many more signers on our petitions by then.)<br /><br />I was then escorted by the Tokyo Police, with media following along across the street, up to the US Embassy, along with volunteers Alyson Richards and Melissa Carbonne (who work with Hollywood celebrities in support of environmental issues), NASCAR driver Leilani Munter (who only accepts green sponsors for her winning race cars), and my colleague from Earth Island, Mark J. Palmer, with his ever-present camera.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIBbwvBo4-I/AAAAAAAAAPc/bRAIG-gc9eU/s1600/Tokyo+Police+Escort+9-2-10.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 326px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIBbwvBo4-I/AAAAAAAAAPc/bRAIG-gc9eU/s400/Tokyo+Police+Escort+9-2-10.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512506836716676066" border="0" /></a><br /><br />With me went our beautiful "nobori" (a traditional Japanese banner) with dolphins and the name of our campaign in Japanese. It really stood out. Earlier we had asked supporters to help us come to Japan and get their name printed on the nobori so they could come with me in spirit. For all of you who donated, I thank you for your support and wanted you to know that your names went with me up to the gates of the US Embassy in Tokyo. Someday, hopefully soon, your names will go with me to Japan in celebration of the end of the dolphin hunts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIBbLM5fkkI/AAAAAAAAAPM/_T8DcNbJcuU/s1600/Tokyo+USEmbassy+%232+9-2-10.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIBbLM5fkkI/AAAAAAAAAPM/_T8DcNbJcuU/s400/Tokyo+USEmbassy+%232+9-2-10.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512506191900545602" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In front of the gates of the embassy, I met Mr. Bruce Howard, Counselor for Science, Environment and Health, representing the American Ambassador. He accepted our petition, as I urged him to see that it gets to the President. (We plan to follow up with a similar ceremony in Washington DC, to present the petitions to the White House and the Japan Embassy.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIBbcr7GauI/AAAAAAAAAPU/CXrJ4kalhfM/s1600/Tokyo+USEmbassy+%233+9-2-10.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TIBbcr7GauI/AAAAAAAAAPU/CXrJ4kalhfM/s400/Tokyo+USEmbassy+%233+9-2-10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512506492286560994" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Our three volunteers each then talked with Mr. Howard. telling him their own story of why they had come half-way around the world to be here with me in Tokyo. We are here to protect the lives of dolphins and to protect the lives of the people of Japan from mercury poisoning.<br /><br />Afterwards, I was whisked away by a cab to do an hour interview with CBS News.<br /><br />Was it worth it? I think it was. We educated millions of Japanese people who read the papers and watch the television news. With "The Cove" still showing in theaters in Japan, more and more people are learning the truth about the dolphin hunts.<br /><br />There's more. We just heard from our Japanese friends that the extreme nationalist groups, that had been building up to confront us in Taiji this year and who almost blocked "The Cove" movie from being screened in Japan, have announced on their web page that they will no longer actively protest "The Cove" or Ric O'Barry in order to focus on other priorities in Japan.<br /><br />And while the dolphin hunters of Taiji failed to find any dolphins yesterday, they did reportedly find 20 bottlenose dolphins offshore and herded them into the Cove this morning. But we further heard that, while they kept several (as many as ten?) for the aquarium trade, they released the rest as they did last year. None were butchered for meat. We are working to confirm this claim.<br /><br />We of course do not want to get our hopes too high -- we do expect dolphins and small whales to be butchered in the Cove, and the process of chasing and netting-in the dolphins is extremely damaging to dolphins (they die of capture stress and get entangled in the nets and drown), the news that once again the dolphin hunters decided, in the glare of publicity, to release some dolphins is a good sign for us.<br /><br />But we cannot give up. This kind of victory is fleeting, and we will not rest until the killing stops for good.<br /><br /><br />Again, my thanks to all our volunteers who traveled here to be with me on behalf of the dolphins. Thanks especially to Leilani, Alyson and Melissa, who spoke to the US Embassy from their hearts today on behalf of dolphins. We cannot ignore their message -- 1.7 million people, so far, have supported their message. Our campaign to Save Japan Dolphins will only grow and grow, and we will stop the killing, that I guarantee.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912701593286641825.post-79477642302145023432010-09-01T13:10:00.000-07:002010-09-01T13:16:15.063-07:00Our Japanese Partners' Heartfelt Support for Dolphins<span style="font-weight: bold;">by Ric O'Barry</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Campaign Director</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Save Japan Dolphins</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Earth Island Institute</span><br /><br /><br />We know what is bad about the dolphin killing going on in Japan. But today, we heard a lot about the good side. Here in Tokyo with our Save Japan Dolphins Team and 70 volunteers from the US, England, Hong Kong, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Japan, and Australia, we met this evening with our partners in Japan. And we were overwhelmed by their love of dolphins and their concern for protection of dolphins.<br /><br />Our volunteers are here to represent the 1.7 million people around the world, including from Japan, who have signed our online petitions to save the dolphins. It is a message we heard loud and clear in Tokyo.<br /><br />One of our keynote speakers was my friend and colleague, Masato Sakano of Circlet, Japan's leading film expert on dolphins and whales. He was also a key production person on our "Blood Dolphin$" TV series shoot in Japan. He showed us some beautiful underwater footage of swimming with wild dolphins in Japan's waters, just a short distance from Tokyo. He encouraged us all to go dolphin-watching while we are here in Japan. Masato-san said, "When we capture dolphins, we deprive them of two important things. One is their family. The other is their sense of hearing." I could not have said it better myself. We owe a great deal to the people of Japan like Masato, who treasure dolphins and whales as much as we do. He has worked hard for many years under very difficult conditions to document and publicize the plight of dolphins here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TH60IpCK7tI/AAAAAAAAAO8/r_R8rzQifeU/s1600/Ric+%26+Suzuki+3+9-1-10.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S5aATBBdCKc/TH60IpCK7tI/AAAAAAAAAO8/r_R8rzQifeU/s400/Ric+%26+Suzuki+3+9-1-10.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512041054494977746" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Also attending was my new friend Mr. Kunio Suzuki, who is a leader of the conservative movement in Japan. He was one of the first people in Japan to speak out against those who criticized "The Cove" movie without first seeing it. He spoke to us tonight about Japanese culture -- if killing dolphins in Taiji is part of Japanese culture, how come he knew nothing about it? He thanked me and "The Cove" for bringing this important issue to the attention of the people of Japan. I responded by stating that if Mr. Suzuki and I can reach common ground on this issue, then there is truly hope for the dolphins.<br /><br />Today was the first day of the dolphin hunting season in Taiji. We understand the boats went out, but were unable to see any dolphins to drive into the Cove. Over the next six months, the dolphin hunts may go on, but we will not rest -- Japanese and Westerners alike -- until the dolphin hunts end once and for all.<br /><br />Thank you, one and all, for being a part of this effort. Special thanks to our many supporters who left behind their lives, their loved ones, and spent their own money to join me in Tokyo on behalf of the dolphins. They are very special people!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0