Saturday, October 16, 2010

How to Kill a Dolphin, Taiji Style

In December of 2009 the Japanese dolphin hunters refined an old killing method and added a simple but effective new twist - the cork or stopper




This tool is used to sever the spinal chord of the dolphin, it paralyses but does it kill? the cork on the string is used in case the tool is dropped so it can be retrieved and that piece of wood? Well that is jammed into the hole made by the tool to stop the bleeding and make sure that the waters do not turn the red colour we are so used to seeing in pictures of previous hunts.

The Taiji Dolphin Action Group is making further inquires into what the Taiji Fishermens Unions claims is a new "more humane" way of killing. Where did this method of killing dolphins (less the plug) come from? Well let me tell you where these people got their inspiration - The Faroe Islands!

It is not only those of us who oppose the slaughter of of our beautiful dolphin friends that are united, apparently Taiji and the Faroes are not only practicing the slaughter they are an inspiration to each other.



Mark B
co-founder TDAG

10 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting this, Mark. I had heard that the Taiji fishermen were using a new technique that involved stopping the blowhole with a piece of wood and other techniques to eliminate the blood being visible in the water, and was supposedly "more humane." This looks like an instrument from the Inquisition.
    I am re-posting, if you don't mind.
    Karen Hanegan

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  2. Slaughter by any method is still slaughter.
    Using a different way does not change the deed.
    Life is lost whether the flow of blood is seen or not.
    "All beings tremble before violence. All fear death, all love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?" -Buddha
    Truly man is the king of beast for his brutality exceeds theirs. We live by the death of others. We are burial places. - Leonardo Da Vinci

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  3. Reminds me mostly of pithing, what was done to live frogs to immobilize them. The base of the skull is penetrated, breaking the connection with the spinal column. Involuntary motor functions (breathing, heartbeat, etc.) continue. In the case of dolphins, I would imagine breathing would not continue. Thing is, they are still alive, likely still conscious, simply unable to control their bodies, to move or fight. It would LOOK more peaceful, but still be a horror and, as sue pointed out, dead is still dead, their lives are still cut very short by this needless, barbaric act. Let them go back to FISHing.

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    Replies
    1. That's exactly what it is: Attempted (often botched) pithing by hand. Sickos. :( Activists have footage of improperly pithed dolphins still thrashing for 20 min or longer [See 2 such incidents in the following video, "For The Dolphins: The Taiji Massacres Continue" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cBhkQVSQOg ]. Others are simply immobilized, and yes, the reeds are pushed into the hole left by the pithing rod solely to hide the outpouring of blood, giving the illusion that this sadistic kill method is more "humane" (excuse me while I puke from disgust and horror!). THIS. MUST. END!!!!!!!

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  4. Thanks for posting this. Absolutely well- leaves me speechless. It also makes me wonder on the 'no dolphin days' in Taiji if they aren't just using this method and dragging the bodies beside their boats, away from the eyes of onlookers, then slipping them into the slaughterhouse undetected.

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  5. they just can't seem to help themselves can they? I suppose on one level it's an improvement? Isn't there a humane society in Japan? Seriously, what the hell are they doing.

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  6. How do you not HATE the people who think up and use these instruments of torture ??? Do they have souls ???? I doubt it.

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  7. It is obvious that two images in this article is removed from our presentation (http://www.cypress.ne.jp/jf-taiji/geiruihosatu.pdf). I am the senior author of that presentation. You shall link to above URL or delete images, immediately.

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  8. Tiwasaki, the two images in the PDF don't make much of difference, aside from seeing the image of a pilot whale with its spinal cord cut and the image of someone clearly hammering an object into a dolphin.

    If you're THAT concerned about how others view this document, then you should go out of your way and translate this into English. Otherwise, we won't even bother to read it.

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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