JAZA ban Will the ban stop the Taiji dolphin slaughters? The Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA) has banned the buying and selling of dolphins from the Taiji drive hunts. Will this ban stop the yearly six-month long slaughters? Doubtful. Although the ban is a positive event, it does not, and cannot, prevent dolphin sales to the entertainment industries. National Geographic addresses the question. The ban is “a big step because it’s a statement from within the industry,” says Courtney Vail, campaign and programs manager at the United Kingdom-based group Whale and Dolphin Conservation. But Vail doubts that the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums step will put an end to the annual hunt. “I do believe that the drive hunts will not end until the overall ethic towards whales and dolphins that permeates Japan’s political and social culture evolves,” she says. Focus on Buyers With so much uncertainty, activist Ric O’Barry, whose longstanding fight against Taiji was featured in The Cove, says that his Dolphin Project plans to keep up the pressure to end the dolphin hunt completely, starting with a worldwide protest at Japanese embassies and consulates around the world on the day the next hunting season in Taiji opens in September. (Also see “‘Cove’ Movie Assails Dolphin Hunt, Gets Oscar Boost.”) “We will have a small team on the ground [in Taiji] for the [season],” he O’Barry says. “This year we have to pay attention to who is capturing dolphins. The main dealer is the Taiji Whale Museum, and they are a member of JAZA.” Vail, of Whale and Dolphin Conservation, is also paying attention to how the World Association Of Zoos and Aquariums and the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums respond to dolphins procured outside of Taiji. “The real issue is live-capture, and given the demand for wild dolphins in Japan, there is money to be made in creating new sources,” she says. “Without the withdrawal of all global aquaria from sourcing any marine park dolphins from the wild, we still must be concerned about the association between captive facilities and the drive hunts, and other wild captures.” Read more… The key to ending Taiji drive hunts The key to ending Taiji drive hunts is to end purchases of tickets to entertainment facilities with captive cetaceans. The key to ending ticket purchases? – is Public Education! Yes, you know the cruelties involved with the Taiji hunts and the resulting slaughters and sales into captivity. Do your friends know? Does your family know? Although it is impossible to divorce this vital information from the heart-felt anguish that the knowledge brings, be prepared to present facts. Documentation. An ally won with documented evidence is a strong ally that cannot be deterred from their stand against cruelty. 15 years of Taiji drive hunts – slaughters and sales PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER CARRETTE ARCHIVE, GETTY
