Like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim

This afternoon, I joined hundreds of people, young and old, as we marched through central London in brilliant winter sunshine. As we headed down Regent Street and along Piccadilly, the air rang with singing, drums and whistles, whilst colourful flags and banners jostled for space against the skyline. Despite the carnival atmosphere, we marched with a common – and grim – purpose: to honour the hundreds of dolphins brutally killed or captured so far this season in the ‘killing cove’ in Taiji and to call upon Japan to end the bloodshed.

Congregating in front of the Japanese Embassy, the crowd sang along to Heroes, the song which David Bowie, a quiet supporter of dolphins and animal rights, allowed to be used as a rallying call at the end of the documentary, The Cove.  Since then, it has been adopted as the anthem to the campaign against the drive hunts at Taiji and of course, was sung this week – of all weeks – in homage to the man as much as to the cause.

I found the whole experience extremely poignant – but what possibly moved me more than anything was the realisation of just how many people care about the dolphins’ plight and are determined to do something to end their suffering. 

Today, London called – let us hope that someone in Tokyo is listening.