Keep The Pressure!

Hey all,

Unfortunately, I do not have pleasant news to report. This morning began in a similar fashion as yesterday. The molester's had left port in search of dolphins by the time we arrived in Taiji. We headed for the Cove and immediately saw the banger boats on the horizon. It was not a good sign. They had found dolphins early this morning and were working on driving them towards their death.

We immediately set to work. Swim Far! Swim Fast! Swim Deep! We were hoping that the dolphins would fight. They did not let us down. To date, we have not witnessed as strong a fight as we watched this morning. From the moment we saw the pod of dolphins near the banger boats it was evident that they were going to prove a difficult catch for the molesters.  We realized early on that the pod being driven in consisted of 10-15 pilot whales. They were magnificent creatures and fought the dolphin molesters for over four hours before being driven into the cove. Our hearts sank as we came to terms with their fate.

The molesters wasted no time as they drove the dolphins straight into the killing cove. We prepared for an immediate slaughter. It's quite disturbing to watch how efficient these killers are. The dolphins were slaughtered, gutted, transfered and butchered in under an hour. I did not have enough time to even register the events of the morning. As it stands, I still have trouble believing the actions that took place inside the cove this morning.

It is very important that we keep the pressure on the Japanese government. We may be here in the thick of the action, but our job is to report to the masses the happenings in Taiji. You are the activists completing all of the ground work! We must continue to call the Japanese Embassy and Consulates around the world. Your phone calls, letters, faxes, and e-mails are making a significent difference. The change that we need in Taiji starts inside the Japanese Government. Please continue to call or write any time to let them know exactly how you feel about the Taiji dolphin slaughter. Here are some numbers that you may find helpful.

Japanese Embassy, Washington D.C.: (202) 238-6700
Japanese Embassy, London, United Kingdom: +44 (0)20 7465 6500
Japanese Embassy, Ottawa, Canada: +1 613 241 8541
Japanese Embassy, Canberra, Australia: +61 (0)2 6273 3244
Japanese Embassy, Pretoria, South Africa: +27 (0)12 452 1500
Japanese Embassy, Dublin, Ireland: +353 (0)1 202 8300
Japanese Embassy, Wellington, New Zealand: +64 (0)4 473 1540

For The Oceans,
Tarah