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Credits: dolphinproject.com

Four dolphins lost their freedom today, stolen from the ocean, all for profit and “entertainment”

There is no rest for the dolphins migrating by the coast of Taiji. Today, a pod of Pacific white sided dolphins were driven towards the Taiji harbor.

Dolphins eluded the hunters and headed back out to open sea several times but banger boats persisted relentlessly.

Unfortunately, the hunters were able to catch up to the dolphins.

Typically, as these dolphins are highly sought after for dolphinariums, they are not driven into the cove. Much like striped dolphins, they panic in the confines of shallow water, and injured animals don’t yield the types of profit as “pretty” ones do. Thus, hunters have adopted the practice of netting the dolphins offshore and sending divers into the water to retrieve them.

Many of the dolphins escaped but four were trapped in nets.

These four dolphins were subjected to a brutal capture process. Each was wrestled and manhandled into skiffs then taken inside the harbor and tossed into a sea pen.

The brutality of the process could be seen in the bloodied flukes of these dolphins.

These dolphins had their freedom stolen from them and will spend the rest of their lives “entertaining” humans.

The dolphin captivity issue is one of supply and demand: as demand increases for trained dolphins, whether to function as performers, interact in swim-with programs or otherwise serve to entertain, Taiji’s business of supplying dolphins to buyers throughout the world will flourish. And thus, the solution is equally simplistic: when people stop buying tickets to dolphin shows and swim-with programs, the industry will end.

Pledge NOT to buy a ticket to a dolphin show: dolphin.fyi/DolphinPledge

Be a voice for the voiceless: TAKE ACTION

Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the USA (Tax ID 47-1665067), and donations are tax-deductible.

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