Today a few of us Cove Guardians headed into Taiji early to see what the dolphin molesters were up to. They set out at 6am, and we viewed them on the horizon in no time with a pod of dolphins. I noticed while looking through my binoculars that these dolphins moved a little differently. It's quite easy to spot bottlenose dolphins now, as they jump quite high and have a distinctive swimming pattern. I knew instinctively that these were Pilot Whales. Usually we are not concerned with the species of dolphins. They are all equal. Unfortunately though, Pilot Whales are usually slaughtered within the hour as the molesters have no interest in sending any off to captivity.
It was not long before the dolphins were driven in and due to their insatiable greed, 4-5 banger boats stayed out to sea in search of more dolphins. They did manage to find another pod but very fortunately for the dolphins, they escaped. The dolphin molesters had to settle with 14 Pilot Whales. Being my first time watching Pilot Whales in the wild, I was captured by their beauty and majesty. I wished with every ounce of my being that they would live. They did not.
Birds- a dead giveaway for the dolphins. The birds flock & dive when the dolphins run from the banger boats. The birds believe that the dolphins are speeding towards a new food source.
The slaughter went as usual. The entire process happens so quickly now that I am barely able to understand in my mind what has happened before it is over. Drive. Nets. Selection (Or not). Tarps. Slaughter. Blood. Transfer. Gutting. Blood. Transfer. Blood. Butcher. It is as if these are not sentient creatures but rather an item passing through a conveyor belt on a production line. I must keep my mind disconnected. I feel as if I've come to the end of my rope. What is wrong with humanity today?
We arrived back at the hotel and I took a much needed nap this afternoon. We witnessed some horrific footage that will be displayed on the Sea Shepherd website (http://www.seashepherd.org/dolphins/cove-guardian-reports) tomorrow. Big Gunns caught the last three Pilot Whales on tape, tied to the side of the boats kicking and screaming after watching their family slaughtered. Please take the time out to watch the video. We must stop this atrocity.
Ps: My video editing program refuses to complete projects! I'm working on the problem and will hopefully have new video posted on the youtube channel soon. Thank you for your patience.
For The Oceans,
Tarah
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