| Type of hunt | Dolphin drive hunt |
|---|---|
| Based in | Taiji |
| Country | Japan |
| Country size | 1820 drive-hunting catch |
33°35′58″N 135°56′47″E / 33.599329°N 135.946498°E The Taiji dolphin drive hunt is based on driving dolphins and other small cetaceans into a small bay where they can be killed or captured for their meat and for sale to dolphinariums. The new primary killing method is done by cutting the spinal cord of the dolphin, a method that claims to decrease the mammal's time to death.[1] Taiji has a long connection to whaling in Japan.[citation needed] The 2009 documentary film The Cove drew international attention to the hunt. Taiji is the only town in Japan where drive hunting still takes place on a large scale.
The government quota allows over 2,000 cetaceans to be slaughtered or captured, and this hunt is one of the world's biggest.[2] Annually, an approximation of 22,000 small cetaceans are killed using the methodology of drive hunting, taking place in the waters of Japan.[3] The annual dolphin hunt provides income for local residents, but has received criticism for both the cruelty of the slaughter methods and the high mercury levels of the dolphin meat.[4]
A majority of international concern is on the hunting method, which is viewed as inhumane. An article by National Geographic refers to The Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums' decision to no longer support the Taiji hunt. In 2015, it was announced that there would be a ban in the buying and selling of dolphins through the means of this hunt.[5]
- ^ Butterworth, Andrew; Brakes, Philippa; Vail, Courtney S.; Reiss, Diana (April 2013). "A Veterinary and Behavioral Analysis of Dolphin Killing Methods Currently Used in the "Drive Hunt" in Taiji, Japan". Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. 16 (2): 184–204. doi:10.1080/10888705.2013.768925. PMID 23544757. S2CID 3456395.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-12. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Matsutani, Minoru, "Details on how Japan's dolphin catches work", The Japan Times, 23 September 2009, p. 3.
- ^ McCurry, Justin (2015-05-20). "Japanese aquariums vote to stop buying Taiji dolphins". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-02.