Dolphin-hunting season kicks off in Taiji

As long as it's tuna-friendly..

Their country, their right.

YUMMY! Better than tuna steak.

crazy

They say the hunt is only profitable because of the high prices live dolphins can fetch when sold to aquariums and dolphin shows.

So they admit it's profitable.

"On Sunday, around 30 people marched in Tokyo to protest the hunt."

Wow that many outraged people. Seems it is a nonissue here in Japan then. Of course the white, liberal media will have fits about it.

Their country, their right.

Oh, Oldman_13, I love you as always.

if the animals aren't endangered, then it should be no business of other countries.

Those who have studied the intelligence of dolphins have concluded that they are self-aware creatures and their captivity amounts to the abuse of an individual. As for leading these animals into the shallows and repeatedly stabbing them with spears, well...

Their country, their right.

You must be all for North Korean nuclear armament then? Japan can do what they like - but it's ludicrous to claim that others can't hold an opinion on something just because it isn't their own country.

Their country, their right.

How about, one world, everybody's right? Right to protest, that is. They state the dolphin population is stable, but how would they know? I'm gonna guess their knowledge is based on the fact they catch and kill a few hundred every year, so there must be plenty. The WHO labeled dolphin meat unfit for human consumption and they feed it to their kids, but that doesn't stop them. They profit from selling the dolphins into a shortened lifespan living in an aquarium, but as long as there is money in they'll continue to do it. I remember last year they was a viral video floating around showing a group of elementary school kids being shown how they cut them up. It's just a barbaric practice that should be stopped!

Defenders say it is a tradition and point out that the animals it targets are not endangered, a position echoed by the Japanese government.

That sentence says it all...

Dolphin hunting is not Japanese tradition. It is a tradition practiced only in a certain part of Japan (Taiji).

Dolphin hunting is not Japanese tradition. It is a tradition practiced only in a certain part of Japan (Taiji).

Correct, an important point.

The people defending dolphins post crap like 'The Japanese deserved the Tohoku Quake and tsunami for killing dolphins', while they call humans who eat meat 'speciesists' .They are demonstrating speciesism, just towards their own kind.

Endangered or not, culture or not - ANYone who has seen the videos of how they are killed should be appauled by these barbaric activities.

CrazyJoe - Dolphin hunting is not Japanese tradition. It is a tradition practiced only in a certain part of Japan (Taiji).

Actually CrazyJoe, there are quite a few places around Japan that regularly hunt dolphins and other toothed whales. They do it in Chiba. It's just that Rick O'Barry didn't make them famous, or infamous, as the case may be. Regardless of how barbaric the practice is, the meat from all toothed whales is highly contaminated with mercury, other heavy metals and pesticides. What is wrong with these idiots that they choose to ignore these facts and keep feeding this poison to their kids? It's a criminal act!

Tradition is not an excuse for anything. Neither are national boundaries.

If something is dumb, it's dumb.

They say this is a tradition, but I'm not convinced it is a tradition worth keeping. Maybe it's time to get with the times. As many commenters have said, dolphin meat is not recommended for food because of its level of pollutants. And consumption of cetacean meat IS going down in Japan according to many studies, so the necessity for the mass killing is less and less. Also, stabbed and bludgeoned dolphins cannot be used in aquariums, so again, less need for this. The financial incentives to continue the practice do not appear very viable. And that tired old red herring argument of "they're not endangered" doesn't make much sense either. So what if they're not endangered at this point in time? That doesn't change a thing. There appears to be no actual need to kill a bunch of dolphins, as per the points above.

So why do they do it? Because it's a tradition? Doesn't sound like much of a reason. Besides, what does a primitive tradition of needless blood and slaughter say about the people who demand to preserve it?

They say this is a tradition, but I'm not convinced it is a tradition worth keeping. Maybe it's time to get with the times

I think the 'tradition' argument is designed to sidestep most of the issues. It's really just a clever piece of sophistry designed to engender an 'Us vs. them' mentality. It transfers the argument (pretty inappropriately) into a nationalistic agenda - with the added benefit that it encourages people to become immediately defensive and take any discussion as a affront to the nation. It quite a clever (and I think deliberate) tactic to shut down open discussion based on fact.

if the animals aren't endangered,

This is another odd argument. It sort of suggests that it's ok to hunt animals down to the level of endangerment. But every animal that was hunted to extinction was at one point not endangered. Really they should be talking about sustainability levels.

The actions of both sides have really entrenched emotions so strongly here - that there is almost no room for reason anymore.

Speaking on behalf of 6 billion people, "Don't care, don't care, don't care."

zorken: very nicely put.

Cruel, pointless and barbaric.

Tradition is no reason to continue a barbaric practice, and this is barbaric. There are plenty of images and video's on the web which will make even the hardest person cry with shame at the way we treat our fellow mammals.

"culture" - as used in the same context as "science" regarding the whale culling...

This is horrible.

tinawatanabeSep. 01, 2014 - 04:59PM JST "Their country, their right." Oh, Oldman_13, I love you as always.

I also agree that it's their country, their right. But I bet you still hate me. LOL

This hunt may be traditional but it used to be conducted in obscurity. Now with exposure through media, especially the cable TV channel Animal Planet, millions of kids are growing up with a negative image of Japan. Time for this tradition to be retired.

So they admit it's profitable.

No. The way the article is written is that the critics of the practice are the ones making the claim.

Can't figure out the reason for the thumbs down I'm getting. My comments aren't very incendiary, and similar comments by others get thumbs up in this post. I'm confused.

I also agree that it's their country, their right. But I bet you still hate me. LOL

How sweet. Of course I love you the most, OssanAmerica.

what does a primitive tradition of needless blood and slaughter say about the people who demand to preserve it?

Nightshade2014 I say they are people making an honest living. What you should realize is that we (you and we) slaughter all animals brutaly, and It's our tradition, but we are not doing it because of its tradition.

no matter what the reasons are ,what happens in Taiji is nothing more than a barbaric act and a business for greedy pockets the cruelty is to obvious,is frightening to see those poor animals struggling and taking they last breath they do it without any mercy dolphins born in the sea and belong there ,wild and free ,it makes me sick and asking myself were the hell it,s going on with human kind ,that proves that we are capable of the best but also capable of the worse

Helena Do you honestly believe the food you eat has nothing to do with "a barbaric act and a business for greedy pockets"? Why do you have a special attachement to the animal? Why do other people have to care about your special attachement? Why do you care only Taiji people, but not other hunting countries like Peru,etc. You think you are capable of the best people and Japanese capable of the worse people. Fine with that. So, can't you just move on and leave Japan alone? You have no idea how much your kind of attitude hurting Taiji people's feelings.

Why do you have a special attachement to the animal? Why do other people have to care about your special attachement?

Those of us who hate the Taiji slaughter are against dolphins being killed in any place, Tina. And we have an attachment to dolphins because they are friendly, intelligent and deserve to be left alone. I don't care if this happens in Peru, or wherever... I'm against any killing of dolphins (and whales in general).

There are many friendly, intelligent animals. Why dolphins in particular? You have no legal ground to demand this to Japan. As PM Abe said, Japan is well aware of your kind of people, but it is Japan's and its people's will to continue this practice. Your "When in Rome, do as Romans do, but when in Japan, do as you do." kind of attitude sickens me.

zorkenSep. 01, 2014 - 06:00PM JST "Their country, their right." You must be all for North Korean nuclear armament then?

That's an issue that affects many countries in the region and the world,

Japan can do what they like - but it's ludicrous to claim that >others can't hold an opinion on something just because it >isn't their own country.

Holding an opinion is one thing, But to interfere is something else.

Dolphin hunting is not Japanese tradition. It is a tradition practiced only in a certain part of Japan (Taiji).

This is like saying the running of the bulls is not a Spanish tradition because it only happens in Pamplona.

tinawatanabe,

As long as the people of Taiji commit these atrocities to these wonderful animals, then they deserve all the comments against them. And before you try to berate me with your holier than thou rubbish, I happen to be a vegetarian. If Japan continues to practice this barbaric practice, and the government upholds it, then don't be surprised at the negative comments towards your country.

don't be surprised at the negative comments towards your country.

No, we wouldn't be surprised, we just get hurt. At least, please do the same to other hunting countries too, otherwise your intention becomes unclear.

Kind of messed up logic. One animal lives a life of freedom, with no impediment, so it's wrong to kill it. Another lives in captivity, often in a space not big enough to turn around in, so it's alright to kill it.

I don't get that line of thinking.