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Japan Dolphin Day 2005 Information on Last Year's Japan Dolphin Day Protest: The Idea and The Reports from all around the World

Japan Dolphin Day Reports From Around the World

September 20, 2006

In thirty-four cities, activists held peaceful demonstrations in front of Japanese embassies and consulates protesting the annual slaughter of thousands of dolphins in Taiji and other fishing centers. Read the reports below.

Do you have a good story or photos of your demonstration? Send to marinemammal@earthisland.org.

Who We Were:

• Alliance for Animal Rights - Moscow
• Animals Asia - Hong Kong
• Animalisti Italiani Onlus - Rome
• Animal Liberation Victoria - Melbourne
• Animal Voices Radio - Toronto
• Animal Welfare Institute - Washington DC
• Animal Rights Hawaii - Waikiki
• Animanaturalis - Barcelona/Mexico City/Bogotá/Madrid/Caracas/ La Paz
• Asian Animal Protection Network - Hong Kong
• Begley's Best - Los Angeles
• Born Free Foundation - London
• British Divers Marine Life Rescue - London
• Calgary Animal Rights Coalition - Calgary
• Center for Environmental Concerns - Manila
• Circusleed - Den Haag
• Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre - Wellington
• Compassion in Action -Calgary
• Compassion and Responsibility for Animals - Manila
• Campaign Whale - London
• Captive Animals Protection Society - London
• Care for the Wild - London
• Cetacea Defence - London
• Cetacean Society International - New York
• COMARINO - Mexico City
• Committee for a Dolphinarium-free Belgium - Brussels
• Dolphin Care UK - London
• One Voice and Rattle the Cage Productions - Miami
• Earth Island Institute - San Francisco/Manila
• EDEV - Den Haag
• EVANA - Brussels
• Environmental Investigation Agency - London
• Global Ocean - London
• GAIA - Brussels
• HSUS/HSI - Washington DC
• Igualdad Animal - Lima/Madrid
• In Defense of Animals - San Francisco/Seattle/ Los Angeles/Portland
• International Animal Rescue - London
• Kalikasan People‚s Network for the Environment - Manila
• Last Chance for Animals - Los Angeles
• LINC - Hong Kong
• Marine Connection - London
• Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition - Boston
• No Whales In Captivity - Vancouver
• Nomades des Oceans - Paris
• NY Whale and Dolphin Action League - New York
• One Voice - Paris
• Orca Network - Seattle
• Palawan Animal Welfare Association - Manila
• PETA - Manila
• Philippines Animal Welfare Society - Manila
• Project ARC - Boston
• Rattle the Cage Productions - Miami
• Reearth - Nassau
• Responsible Animal Care Society - Vancouver
• Science & Technology Advocates for the People - Manila
• Sea Flow - San Francisco
• Sea Mammal Support Group - Den Haag
• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society - Den Haag/Calgary/Budapest/Melbourne/Seattle
• WDCS - London/Washington DC
• WSPA - London
• Zoocheck - Toronto

"Eighty percent of success is showing up"

Woody Allen

Hong Kong: We Protested with Drums

Report by LeeAnn Ford

Photo by LeeAnn Ford, Lamma Animal Protection

It was a nice day for a protest in Hong Kong, so we protested with drums. At the end of our demo, I went up with the other representatives from the Hong Kong groups and gave a copy of Taiji dolphins to the Japanese Vice-counsul.

We had representatives from Reuters, AFP, South China Morning Post, and the European Press Photo Agency.

BUDAPEST: A Debate with the Japanese Counsel

Report by Sea Shepherd

www.hirado.hu/cikk.php?id=149795 (article in Hungarian)

The Japanese embassy is located in an insignificant part of Budapest. Therefore, having a discussion in Budapest with the consulate was a more effective strategy than a street-demonstration. Our meeting took 70 minutes with the counsel, Mr. Toyokazu Kubota. The terms of our debate were very sharp and clear. I brought forward to him the most important accusations about the ongoing Japanese dolphin slaughter.

Mr. Kubota stated that the Japanese consider the dolphins as a traditional Japanese food, which provides them protein. They do not understand (and, perhaps, do not WANT to understand) why the world is against this Japanese tradition. They do not consider the hunting of dolphins as a bloody and inhumane slaughter.

Furthermore, they think that the terrible videos of the slaughter are not real! And they do not want to accept the scientific facts about the danger of eating of dolphin meat, due to contamination.

I was alone in the room against them. But it was a good feeling to know that the world was together against the Japanese dolphin slaughter on September 20^th.

MELBOURNE: Joining Protesters Around the World

Article From www.NEWS.com.au

Protests urge end to dolphin slaughter

September 20, 2006 03:24p.m.; Article from: AAP

Animal liberationists in Melbourne today joined protesters around the world in demanding the Japanese Government put an end to the slaughter of dolphins.

Two dozen protesters demonstrated outside the Japanese Consulate in Melbourne to bring public attention to the practice, which they say kills about 20,000 dolphins every year.

The demonstration was accompanied by protests around the world, including in London, New York, Paris, Mexico and Rome.

"The aim is to send a message to the Japanese Government that they can't hide the brutal and gruesome slaughter of dolphins that they sanction each year," said Animal Liberation Victoria spokesman Noah Hannibal.

Some of the protesters today wore white industrial bodysuits smeared in fake blood, while holding up posters condemning the brutal slaughter of dolphins and urging members of the public to sign a petition.

The dolphin-hunting season starts in October and continues through to March where the dolphins are driven into shallow bays and slashed to death then sold for meat, Mr. Hannibal said.

"It's a horrendous death for these animals," he said.

"The water literally turns red with blood for a long time after the dolphins are killed – it's a blood bath that the whole world should be ashamed of."

Mr. Hannibal said the aim of the protest was to raise public awareness of dolphin slaughtering and prompt people to object to the Japanese Consulate.

"The Japanese Government is ashamed of this and they actually keep it hidden from the Japanese people," he said.

"They put tarps up all around the slaughter so no one can see it.

"(But) the world is watching and the fact that they give permits to kill in horrendously cruel ways 20,000 dolphins a year, they're going to be held accountable," he said.

LOS ANGELES: Actors and Activists Protest

Report by Last Chance for Animals and An Animal-Friendly Life

Actors, Activists Protest Annual Japan Dolphin Slaughter

MyNetworkTV "Desire" Star Chris DeRose Joins Forces With Ed Begley Jr. and Other Actors and Activists to Stop the Horrific Japan Dolphin Slaughter

LOS ANGELES, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- September 19, 2006 -- Last Chance for Animals (LCA) will lead the protest at the Japanese Embassy in Los Angeles to demand Japan stop the brutal and inhumane slaughter of dolphins. Each year from October through March, in small towns across Japan, thousands of dolphins are confined and brutally killed. These slaughters take place in fishing towns including Taiji, Iki, Ito, Futo, and Izu. During those months, Japanese fishermen herd whole families and pods of dolphins, porpoises, and small whales into shallow bays and mercilessly hack them to death. Most of these animals are sold as meat in restaurants and stores, while others are destined for captivity.

Horrific footage taken by animal rights activists was broadcast across the world, showing Japanese hunters trapping a terrified pod of dolphins in a cove before netting their victims and cutting their throats out with large knives. These gentle, intelligent mammals can be seen thrashing about in agony in a blood-red sea, some taking up to 10 minutes to die from their wounds. Upwards of 20,000 dolphins and porpoises will be butchered by fishermen off the coast of Japan in the next six months, if the Japanese Government does not ban the 400-year-old hunting tradition

"The Japan dolphin slaughter is one of the most horrific acts of violence I have seen," said Chris DeRose, LCA President. "For a culture with so much pride they should be ashamed that they are committing these atrocities year after year. The dolphin slaughter must stop!"

What: Japan Dolphin Slaughter Protest
Where: In front of the LA Japanese Consulate
350 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071
When: Wednesday, 9/20/06
Protest -- 12:00 Noon
Press Conference -- 12:30 p.m.
Who: Speakers include LCA President and Founder Chris DeRose (currently appearing on MyNetworkTV in "Desire"),
Actor Ed Begley Jr. and other celebrities T.B.A.

Last Chance for Animals (LCA), a national animal rights organization based in Los Angeles, has been active for more than two decades. Founded and led by animal expert, author, and actor Chris DeRose, LCA fights for the rights of animals by conducting investigations that expose animal cruelty. For more information, visit www.LCAnimal.org.

Report of LA Event:

Our Los Angeles Japan Dolphin Day protest had somewhere around two dozen or so people holding up signs and banners. The media attended, as was environmental activist/actor Ed Begley, Jr., Last Chance for Animals' Chris DeRose, and numerous dedicated activists responding to LCA's and In Defense of Animals' calls to local activists for help in staging the protest.

The demo was quiet, respectful, and friendly with passersby on their way to and from lunch. It was a very uneventful protest in that regard, and for that I am thankful. I was glad for LCA and IDA putting together so many materials to hand out, from beautiful and thorough brochures to quick flyers urging readers to write the Japanese consulate, as well as tools like scores of signs and the blow-up dolphins with red paint on them. Those were a bit graphic, perhaps, but that's what we're dealing with when it comes to this slaughter.

I had a number of people come up to ask me why we were there (they didn't know the consulate was inside), a few people actually came up to me and asked for flyers, and a couple of others let me know they were glad we were protesting. I'm glad people are morally supportive, I'm glad the media was there, and I hope they make some mention to a wider audience. But we'd also like for people who saw these photos and read about the drive fisheries to write to the Japanese consulate and to their own representatives demanding something be done about this barbaric annual slaughter. This hideous slaughter must end.

As an addendum, I'd suggest trying a demo out. If you're used to seeing demonstrations full of conflict, I can understand your reticence, but they're not all like that. If you object to any element of a protest, you can always leave. But by showing up, you give the protest a chance to gain attention and canvas the area with literature more effectively. If you never go, you are leaving the fate of the animals up to a small band of dedicated animal-friendly people. Without you, those numbers won't go up, and popular support for the animals will remain silent. Silence = Death.

MANILA: Braving the Heat to Register Their Outrage

Report by Earth Island Institute-Philippines

Article from Biz Mirror, The Philippines

I would like to thank those who participated in the Japan Dolphin Day 2006 Protest at the Japanese embassy. In particular, we would like to thank the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (CARA), Center for Environmental Concerns-Phils (CEC-Phils), Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment (KPNE), AGHAM (Advocates of Science and Technology for the People), Palawan Animal Welfare Association, Inc (PAWAI), AGHAM-Youth, and the PETA Network. The twenty or so protesters coming from these different groups braved the heat to register their outrage over the continued killing of dolphins and whales by Japanese fishermen.

We noticed that some officials of the Japanese embassy also came out, took pictures of us and were observing our protest.

Two major TV networks were there and interviewed Anna from PAWS and me. We believe that almost all print photographers were also present this morning. Later in the afternoon, pictures of our protest appeared at news websites. We will have to see if the broadsheets will be printing pictures of the protest.

Our action was also done in solidarity with the international clamor to stop dolphin kills in Japan. We were also able to expose the Philippine government's support of that practice with the importation of animals for the Ocean Adventure Park in Subic.

Again, thanks to all that took part in this year's protest. We do hope to end this brutal practice with our persistent actions.

BOSTON: Together We Will End this Barbaric Cruelty

Report by The Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition, www.massanimalrights.org

The Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition (MARC) was happy to once again host the Boston Dolphin Day Protest at the Japanese Consulate. The weather was fine for the protest; a wonderful contrast to last year's protest when it rained and was so windy -- we were actually holding the demo during the remnants of a hurricane! Plus there were many more people on the streets, so we got a lot of attention. We lost track of how many school buses and tourist buses went by, in addition to the general heavy traffic.

Our new banner was great---easy to read even from a great distance, and once again our signs were also easy to read and very effective. We distributed over 1500 flyers. We got nearly 100% positive response from the general public.

One big highlight of the event was that we are almost positive that the Consul General and what looked like his staff actually drove by, rubbernecking majorly. It seemed like too big of a coincidence that they just happened to drive by during that hour. Especially given that they had been informed that we would be protesting ahead of time.

We were joined again this year by Captain Ron Canning, an international dolphin expert, who held an all day vigil at the embassy as he did last year. Overall, it was a wonderful event, and we thank Ric O’Barry for doing such a great job organizing it! We are sure that together we will end this barbaric cruelty!

MIAMI: 60 People Protest

Report by One Voice

About 60 protesters from the Dolphin Project and Rattle the Cage Productions marched in front of the Japanese consulate office in Miami for three hours.

Excellent street theatre, music and handouts about the dolphin slaughter. Musicians Bob Ingram and Kevin Hurley brought their guitars and sang Fred Neil's "Dolphin Song." Fred was the co-founder of the Dolphin Project on Earth Day 1970. He passed away in July, 2001: www.home.zonnet.nl/jim2873/fredneil/chronology.html.

The Japanese consulate general was hiding under his desk on the 33^rd floor during the event.

Photo by Bob Pelligrini

We were not allowed inside the building to deliver a letter to the Consulate General Masakazu Toshikage. The letter is a copy of our original letter mailed to governor Jeb Bush of Florida requesting that the state of Florida sever all ties with our Japanese sister state (prefecture) of Wakayama, Japan, until the barbaric and senseless dolphin slaughter in Wakayama Japan is abolished. Security guards prevented us from entering the building to hand deliver the letter. It was mailed to the Japanese consulate general the following day.

We did about 12 radio shows over the phone before the event. Toronto, Seattle, Los Angeles, London were some cities that called for an interview. Several newspapers also called in for an interview. We also did a three hour radio show for National Public Radio. The word got out big-time.

Channel 7 News also covered the demo. And an independent filmmaker flew in from Denver to film the protest. He's doing a larger story on the Japanese dolphin slaughter for the Discovery Channel.

All in all, it was a very successful event. A good time was had by all that attended.

WASHINGTON DC: Crowd of 40 People

Report by Humane Society of the US and Animal Welfare Institute

Thanks to everyone who showed up today for the Washington DC protest, and a special thanks to Serda Ozbenian for being the local organizer!

Photo by HSUS

On September 20, 2006 The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International, the Animal Welfare Institute, and many other concerned individuals made their presence, and message, known outside of the Japanese Embassy in Washington, DC.

A crowd of forty people, some wearing dolphin hats and others holding signs, chanted "Stop the dolphin slaughter!" and "Shame on Japan!" in unison. We had banners, placards, signs (English and Japanese), and Pierre did a great job on the bullhorn providing the chants and keeping spirits high. The late Ben White's dolphin headdresses completed our look. We had students, locals on their lunch hour and retirees show up with us.

The weather was perfect - the sun was shining and there was a fall nip in the air. We were in great voice.

The highlight was an appearance by veteran animal advocate, Dr. Lee Talbot and his wife, Marti, who both showed up and stayed for the whole event to march and chant. Dr. Talbot was one of the original author's of the US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and a great friend of the animal welfare movement for many decades.

A Japanese film crew was there the whole time.

MOSCOW: Delivering a Letter to Japanese Ambassador

Report by Alliance for Animal Rights

We are unable to organize any demonstrations, because of the possibility our activists could be detained. Our government authorities ask for a permit, but we did not have one.

As a result, all we could do was come in towards the Japanese embassy building in Moscow by car with a toy dolphin and posters in our hands, made some noise, and went back. We also passed a letter to the Japanese Ambassador in Russia.

WAIKIKI: Japanese Tourists Sign Our Petitions

Photo by Cathy Goeggel

Report by Animal Rights Hawai'i

We had a very successful day in Waikiki today. We had 6 people with placards, petitions and flyers in English and Japanese.

We were targeting Japanese tourists, so we changed our venue from the Consulate to Waikiki; our flyers were in English on one side and Japanese on the other. We also had a native Japanese speaker with us, and she convinced many Japanese tourists to sign our petitions. Lots of local people signed as well.

Mahalo nui to everyone who helped make our day a success.

CALGARY: Talking to Japanese Consul Representatives

Report by Sea Shepherd Calgary Group, Compassion in Action and Calgary Animal Rights Coalition

It was a cool blustery day, but we had warmth in our hearts for the dolphins. Our determined group of 8 people stood outside the Japanese Consulate in Calgary and protested during the busy lunch hour. We waved our banners, handed out leaflets and collected petition signatures. All this time under the watchful eye of security, reps from the Consul and the local police. The response from passerbies was generally supportive and it seems that quite a few people are not aware of the dolphin slaughter.

Photo by Kim Kerr

We attempted to deliver our letters to the Consul General, but were stopped just inside the building by security and also 2 reps from the consulate. They did offer to take our letters, but we decided to send them later that day by courier, as we got the feeling they would probably have ended up in the trash can. I talked briefly with one of the consul reps, and explained to him that we represented many Canadians who wished to see an end to the killing of dolphins and whales by Japan and that this senseless slaughter must be stopped now. I made him aware this was a global protest and that the world was watching and acting against this atrocity. He seemed quite surprised at what I was saying and did promise to relay the message to the Consul General. Our petition is on-going and will be delivered to the Consulate at a later date.

Thanks so much to everyone who attended and helped make this a successful demo. Big dolphin hugs to Ric O’Barry and crew, Sea Shepherd, and all other groups and individuals worldwide who are working towards an end to the killing.

BRUSSELS: Filmed Interview with Japan TV

Report by Yvon Godefroid, Committee for a Dolphinarium-free Belgium - Brussels

We had silent members of Gaia standing motionless and showing their posters in front of the Japanese Embassy.

In the meantime, we were running everywhere, distributing the thousands leaflets I printed in English and French to passer-byes. A cute six-year-old little girl distributed a LOT of leaflets and told me that "She does not want dolphins to die."

There is a good news: I had a long interview with two Japanese journalists who took pictures of Gaia people and carefully noted all what I told them ("We love Japan but it's a shame some remote villages still keep slaughtering a universal biological treasure: free cetaceans", adding that China was one of the main market place for captive dolphins). The debate was very interesting and polite, followed with great attention by a member of the Embassy.

One thing is true: most of the people in Japan do not even know what happens in Taiji !!

www.dauphinlibre.be (article in Flemish)

VANCOUVER: Protest Outside the Aquarium

Report by Coalition for No Whales in Captivity

We had a good demo outside the Vancouver Aquarium today.

No Whales In Captivity was the only group on Ric's list that did not hold a protest outside the Japanese consulate or embassy. Instead, we sent a letter to the Japanese Consul in Vancouver with copies of our press release for today's demo and more info on the horrors of the dolphin drive. We are certain the Consul will forward our message to Tokyo, too.

One of the reasons we held the demo at our local “whale jail” today is because we wanted to bring attention to the connection between the Vancouver Aquarium and the dolphin-drive hunt. The aquarium recently bought three wild-caught Pacific white-sided dolphins from Japan.

So the demo went great, although our volunteers had to brave torrential rains. We're used to that here in Vancouver, but the problem is that today we had sensitive electronic equipment to worry about! The Vancouver Humane Society had kindly allowed us to borrow Ashley Fruno who wears their "body-screen". The "body screen" is a very thin monitor that you hang around your neck while playing closed-looped DVDs for all to see and hear. It's way cool. Ric O’Barry used one to offend Japan at the International Whaling Commission this year, before they booted him off of the island. Anyway, it was raining so hard today that poor Ashley had to stand wearing the "body-screen" under our old and leaky gazebo holding her umbrella open, too.

Among the dozen protestors who showed up there were two Japanese women from Animal Advocates. These women were invaluable when speaking to Japanese people that visited the aquarium in Stanley Park. At one point, a whole busload of Japanese tourists showed up. While we handed out flyers as fast as we could, both of our protestors from Japan, who were holding banners, spoke out loudly and non-stop to these people in fluent Japanese. And they listened!

Article From: Vancouver Courier

Protesters part of worldwide event to stop 'Japanese dolphin slaughter'

By Sandra Thomas-Staff writer
Published 22 Sept. 06

The Coalition For No Whales in Captivity joined 60 other animal rights groups around the world Wednesday afternoon to protest dolphin hunting by Japan.

The protest was held outside the Vancouver Aquarium.

Coalition director Annelise Sorg said the annual protest, Japan Dolphin Day, comes as 25 dolphins were killed last week near Taiji, Japan.

"We are all trying to bring attention to the slaughter of these creatures," said Sorg.

Sorg said the coalition protested the annual dolphin hunt outside the Japanese consulate general's office on West Hastings last year. But because the consulate's offices are at least nine floors above the street, passersby had problems making the connection.

"People didn't know what was going on," said Sorg. "So we decided to hold the protest this year in front of the aquarium. Last year the aquarium imported two dolphins from Japan and we want them to stop."

Sorg, who has criticized the aquarium for years for keeping whales and dolphins, said even though both dolphins were labeled as "rescued," and not caught during a hunt, her group wants the aquarium to stop doing business with Japan.

"Just the implication they'd do business with the Japanese goes against any moral standards," said Sorg.

A video of last week's hunt taken by marine mammal specialist Ric O'Barry of the World Society for the Protection of Animals, shows the dolphins being driven into a cove, surrounded by boats and netted. Japanese fishermen with large knives are seen on the video slashing the throats of the dolphins as they thrash in the water, some taking up to 10 minutes to die. It's estimated 20,000 dolphins will be killed during the annual six-month Japanese dolphin hunt.

O'Barry, who captured and trained dolphins from 1960 to 1970 for the TV series Flipper, has spent the past 36 years working as an environmentalist, rescuing and releasing dolphins back to the wild. He spoke to the Courier from his Florida office following Wednesday's protest outside the Japanese consulate general's office in Miami.

"We had about 100 people show up," said O'Barry, who organized the worldwide protest. "I've been putting this together for about six months and ended up with 56 [environmental and animals rights groups] in 33 cities taking part, everywhere from Moscow to Rome to Vancouver. It felt good to wake up this morning and turn on my computer to see protests taking place at Japanese consulates in Hong Kong and Australia."

He said the capture of live dolphins for aquariums and zoos is as bad as the annual hunt.

"It's like adding jet fuel to the problem," said O'Barry. "These fishermen get $600 for a dead dolphin and $100,000 for a live one."

Aquarium president John Nightingale said the coalition was "misplaced" in holding the protest at the aquarium and said the flyer the group handed out Wednesday was full of misinformation.

"My jaundiced view is that this is about normal from the coalition," said Nightingale. "As usual, everything they're saying is full of half truths and innuendo."

He said the white-sided dolphins at the aquarium aren't the same species as those caught in the hunt. He said while the dolphin hunt is considered barbaric in many parts of the world, it is a part of Japanese culture.

"It's like saying our First Nations members are wrong to hunt whales," said Nightingale. "All things change over time. It's more productive for us to work with the Japanese for change. Placing protest signs in front of the aquarium is not a productive strategy. It doesn't do anything to solve the problem."

And a response from Ric O’Barry:

Open letter to:
Sandra Thomas - Staff writer
Vancouver Courier

Dear Ms. Thomas,

Regarding your story: Protesters part of worldwide event to stop Japanese dolphin slaughter, published September 22, 2006.

Sorry to say that you got some of the story wrong.

First of all, I don't work for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). I work for One Voice, a leading French animal protection organization. One Voice organized Japan Dolphin Day and the international protest on September 20^th -- not WSPA.

While WSPA is involved in a lot of great work around the world helping other animals, they not involved in this particular issue. Neither are any of their 692 member societies located in 140 countries.

The Vancouver Aquarium director, John Nightingale got it wrong too when he said: "...the white-sided dolphins at the aquarium aren't the same species as those caught in the hunt." Truth is, the Japanese dolphin hunters are killing every species of dolphin and porpoise that they can find, even those on the endangered species list. The dolphin hunters in Taiji told us it's a form of "pest control.” They went on to say that the dolphins are eating too much fish.

Mr. Nightingale is also wrong when he says: "..while the dolphin hunt is considered barbaric in many parts of the world, it is a part of Japanese culture." This is not true either. Actually, it's the culture of some few Japanese people in some few remote fishing villages in Japan. It is not the culture of the Japanese people. How could it be? Most Japanese people don't even know that the annual slaughter is going on. This is because of a media blackout on all whale and dolphin stories in Japan.

Fact is, Mr. Nightingale is rewarding the dolphin hunters by purchasing dolphins from the Enoshida Aquarium in Japan. This aquarium, like all of the 50 dolphinariums in Japan have a symbiotic relationship with the dolphin hunters. They all buy dolphins from the dolphin drive fisheries in Futo and Taiji. Ms. Sorg and her coalition were indeed protesting the correct venue when they protested the Vancouver Aquarium.

Sincerely yours,

Richard O'Barry
Marine Mammal Specialist
One Voice-France

MEXICO CITY: Posters, Banners and Pamphlets Handed Out

Report by COMARINO and AnimaNaturalis

Just about noon roughly 80-100 people gathered in front of the Japanese Embassy in Mexico City.

We had posters, banners and pamphlets to give to drivers on the Paseo de la Reforma Avenue, one of the most famous avenues in Mexico City.

photo by Erneso Muñiz

COMARINO and AnimaNaturalis, which organized the demonstration, were there for about two hours, and a lot of people signed our letter addressed to the Japanese Ambassador. Though the embassy gates were closed to us, with police and patrols protecting the entry, and so we were not allowed to get in, finally, we delivered a letter signed by 10 Mexican groups.

People in cars passing by showed sympathy to our cause and beeped their claxons.

There was very good media coverage, with more than 10 representatives of different media. We conducted "live" interviews with radio stations and interviews with the most prestigious newspapers in Mexico.

The news was on CNN en español, which covers from the south of USA to Argentina, and 3 nationwide newspapers, plus several radio stations.

ROME: A Resolution in Parliament

Report by Animalisti Italiani

photo by Animalisti Italiani

The Japanese Embassy of Rome in Via Quintino Sella has been "besieged" in a pacifist way by 35 Italian activists of the Animalisti Italiani Association. They protested against the dolphin massacre in Japan, showing the brutal hunting through the reconstruction of the scene with costumes of dolphin and one small boat dirty with the innocent blood of the dolphins, and with a screaming slogan. The activists raised their signs against the horrible massacre and distributed leaflets asking the people walking around the street to not visit the dolphinarium, because they have their part in the massacre because of the continuous demand for dolphins.

The demonstration was very well covered by the media and by the main TV station. The first and the second channel of the Italian TV evening news showed images of the demo.

Some journalists have asked the Japanese ambassador for the number of received messages and their response, but they have not obtained any answers.

The Hon. Bruno Mellano, deputy of the radical party, took part and also sponsored the motion against the dolphin slaughter introduced in Parliament from the Hon. Angelo Bonelli, group leader of the greens in the Italian Parliament.

Thanks again to Ric O'Barry and to all the groups around the world.

SAN FRANCISCO: We Dominated the Block

Report by Earth Island Institute and In Defense of Animals

A very interesting day in San Francisco! The keepers of the building and police were a bit paranoid, but we got on OK. For the first time, they would not allow us into the building (which is a public building!) to deliver the message to the Japanese consulate. They also asked us not to touch their precious building, so we spread out on the public sidewalk leaving plenty of room for people to pass.

photo by Michael Reppy/EII

A student intern and tourist went in to the Japanese Consulate and met for half an hour with the Japanese staff there, and also handed her a packet of our information (see report below). According to our student, the Japanese staff member was nervous, but also very ashamed about the dolphin hunt.

About thirty people showed up. We also had people wearing the famous Ben White dolphin hats and our Earth Island 20-foot blue inflatable dolphin. In Defense of Animals provided two nice banners to stop the hunt and also 500 leaflets in color to pass out. In addition to folks from IDA and Earth Island, we also had several volunteers show up from Seaflow. Not a bad turn-out, and we dominated the block for 2 hours with our flyers, signs, banners and dolphins.

Visiting the SF Japanese Consulate
Report by Lena Domroese

Originally, I had planned to go up to the Japanese consulate to pick up some information about visiting Japan, but then I saw the demonstration of environmental and animal rights activists distributing flyers that showed the bloody slaughtering of dolphins by Japanese, and I changed my mind. I went up to the 23^rd floor with an information package to confront the Japanese Consulate staff with the accusations.

The person in the visitors’ information center nodded knowingly when I showed her the pictures, expressing how shocked I was.

“Yeah, it is a shocking picture, but you know, in my job, you sometimes have to set your personal beliefs aside,” she said. This didn’t seem like a satisfying statement to me, but she obviously didn’t wan to go into the subject any further. Instead, she offered to let me talk to somebody who would.

She had me wait in the office for 10 minutes, and I was wondering if that was a tactical move and supposed to turn me away. Finally, a Japanese lady entered the room. She looked very “official” and a little reserved. She definitely had other stuff to do than discussing dolphin issues with a random drop-in. Nevertheless she was very polite. And she was willing to listen to what I had to say.

We sat there for about half-an-hour, often talking at cross purposes. Her basic line always was that the Japanese didn’t do anything that violated international whaling agreements. The thing was that the demonstration was not about whales but dolphins. I referred to the NY Times ad in the package that seemed to back up the accusations of the activists, namely the brainless killing of thousands of dolphins in the process of selecting the best-looking ones for marine shows. She didn’t really know much about that and suggested that one reason to kill dolphins may be economic, i.e. protecting the fish stocks from the dolphins to guarantee fishermen their source of income.

She also called up the connection between Japanese tradition and whaling or dolphin hunting, stressing that Native Americans had permission to go after a certain number of whales. Again, I reminded her that we were not talking about whales but dolphins and that, in opposition to Native Americans, the Japanese’s killing of sea mammals does not seem to be limited. The last digressive argument she made was about the credibility of the photograph on the flyer. I told her that first, In Defense of Animals and Earth Island Institute, the initiators of the campaign, were very renowned, credible and probably not in need to fake any proof. Second, I didn’t care about that particular picture as much as I cared for the facts and the general story behind the picture.

The longer we talked, the more she became interested in the matter, attempting to read the newspaper article with one eye during our conversation. I hit the sore spot saying I was so shocked by all this that I was not sure anymore if I really wanted more information on Japan as my next travel destination. She was very embarrassed and almost personally ashamed for the perception of Japan that I and other passers-by might have gotten from the pictures. Being very worried about Japan’s image, she asked me to also look beyond this facet and see the culturally rich and beautiful aspects of her country. I almost felt sorry because she adopted more and more personal responsibility for the things happening in her country and looked really distressed.

When we said good bye, she thanked me for talking to her and for not being judgmental towards the country as a whole. She asked me to leave her the package (which I gladly agreed to) and told me to contact her with more information or questions. She handed me her business card, and I learned that I had just met the director and consul of the Consulate General of Japan in the San Francisco office!

MADRID: Protest by Animal Rights Group

photo by IgualdadAnimal

Report by IgualdadAnimal/Animal Equality

The Animal Rights group IgualdadAnimal/Animal Equality carried out a protest at the Japanese embassy in Madrid on the 20^th of September to condemn the slaughter of thousands of dolphins from October to March in Japan.

During the protest the embassy was literally covered with artificial blood representing the blood of all the animals that die in the Japanese seas.

SEATTLE: We Will Protest Until This Crime Against Nature is Stopped

Report by Orca Network

In spite of an unrelenting downpour on September 20, Japan Dolphin Day, 35 people gathered in front of the Japanese Consulate in downtown Seattle, WA, joining activists in 34 other cities over the globe to protest the brutal, annual dolphin drive hunt and slaughter. Although holding rain soaked protest signs and leaflets, activists from Orca Network, Sea Shepherd International including Sea Shepherd captain Alex Cornelissen of the Farley Mowat, dolphin scientist Dr. Toni Frohoff, nature writer Brenda Peterson, and others clearly sent the message that they will continue to protest the horrific slaughter of over 20,000 beautiful self aware mammals until the Japanese government stops this crime against nature.

One security officer kept an eye on us, along with a police car parked at the curb. Two members of Orca Network attempted to deliver red flowers and a dolphin balloon to the Consul General's office. Police officers followed them inside where the Orca Network members were told they couldn't leave anything in the building. At the end of the protest, the security officer said, he was with us; it was just his job. He let us leave all the red flowers at the edge of the sidewalk by the consulate building. One member of the protest handed him a leaflet, which he said he would read.

It would be wonderful if we never have to protest the brutal destruction of a sentient species again. Sometimes there are miracles!

LONDON: More Than 100 Concerned Members of the Public

Report by Marine Connection and Environmental Investigation Agency

More than 100 concerned members of the public, other leading animal welfare groups and the passing public all gathered outside the Japanese Embassy in London between 12p.m. and 3p.m. in order to display the immense disgust which is provoked by the brutal slaughters in Japan during which 20,000 dolphins, small whales and porpoises are killed.

photo © EIA/Claire Bass

Petitions were signed, horns honked in support, leaflets handed out, questions asked and answered, and whistles blown, with the aim of making the Japanese Embassy aware of the damage that they are causing to the small cetacean stocks in Japan's waters.

Andrina Murrell, Captivity Officer for the Marine Connection exclaimed, "It is amazing to see so many people from around the country as well as those who have given up their lunch break to come and support this demonstration." Stanley Wentworth, who is over 80, attended the event, travelling the 45 miles from Southend-on-Sea to show his support for the campaign.

“We are disappointed that the Japanese Ambassador has so far rejected our polite requests for a meeting. We simply want the opportunity to open a dialogue on this important issue, to explain our concerns so that they are clearly understood and can be communicated to the Japanese government.” said Claire Bass of the Environmental Investigation Agency.

Asahi News in London covered the event, so it is likely some of the coverage was shown in Japan.

Thanks to all the groups and supporters that attended the protest as well as to all those who have emailed, written to and telephoned the Embassy to raise the issue of these brutal slaughters.

TORONTO: Good Turn Out

Report by Zoocheck Canada

We had another successful drive fishery demo in Toronto. I will also be sending along some info and a letter to our Japanese consulate here as the RCMP did not want us to go into the building today.

We got a good turn out for a weekday (approx. 40 people). We spread out along the street in front of the building where the Japanese consulate is located. We attracted both federal cops and city cops as well as a number of security guards and consulate staff, but all were very pleasant, and the police were supportive of our stand on the issue.

Anyway, we had a blast at our demo again this year. Next year we are going to arrange for music – I think it will attract more people.

Photo by Zoocheck Canada

© 2006, Earth Island Institute, Elsa Nature Conservancy, In Defense of Animals, Animal Welfare Institute. All Rights Reserved.