Article Reaction

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10670854

As I was watching the Oprah Winfrey Show earlier this year, I learned of the Academy Award winning documentary The Cove. The Cove tells the horrifying story of the thousands of dolphins being slaughtered in a Japanese town. These fisherman scare the dolphins into a cove and pierce them. As they struggle and slowly die, the water turns bright red with blood. Although The Cove star Ric O'Barry has handed over a petition to end the hunt with over 1.5 million signatures to the United States embassy in Tokyo, the Japanese government protects this practice.

I am totally against the slaughter of thousands of dolphins in the cove. Although this may be a "tradition" in Japanese culture, I do not think killing up to 20,000 dolphins is really necessary. These fisherman scare the dolphins, force them into a cove, and kill them slowly. Many other fisherman kill the dolphins at sea instead of scaring them into a small area. These fisherman care only about the multi-billion dollar business of dolphin entertainment and the "underhanded" dolphin meat industries.

Most of the dolphins are eaten as meat or sold into captivity. Although there have been may studies done on how dolphin meat is unsafe to eat, the meat is still sold to the townspeople and served in school lunches.  The levels of mercury are extremely high and dangerous to human health. Although the Japanese government has this knowledge, they still continue to risk the health of the townspeople and the school children.

Dolphins are also highly intelligent, sensitive, and self-aware. They are adapted to ocean life and are best left out of captivity. As these facts are public knowledge, I feel as though murdering dolphins is totally wrong and should be stopped. Dolphins are beautiful creatures and should be treated with respect.