Posts Tagged ‘Japan’
Chilling new research shows why dolphins should not be hunted
Whales and dolphins are ‘sentient’ – this means that they are conscious beings, capable of feeling pain and suffering physically and psychologically. This adds a whole new level to our thinking about the welfare and conservation issues associated with the hunting and killing of these mammals. What long-term emotional impact might there be for a…
Read MoreTaiji – another season of slaughter as marine park links grow stronger
Life as a small whale or dolphin can be precarious at the best of times, but off the coast of Japan they face a sinister threat – the fishermen of Taiji. If they’re caught up in the maelstrom of one of the infamous ‘drive hunts’ the outcome is unlikely to be a good one. They’ll…
Read MoreWDC joins NGOs to lobby Japanese PM as drive hunt season opens today
Today marks the beginning of yet another slaughter season in Japan for hundreds of dolphins. In Taiji, dolphins are herded into the notorious Cove, where some are hand-picked for a miserable lifetime in captivity, while the rest of their family pod is slaughtered – for a meat market that barely exists. In December, Japan will…
Read MoreWill nationalism trump conservation in a ‘post-truth’ world?
Is the new US Administration’s apparent negative attitude toward environmental protection an open door for renewed Japanese commercial whaling? If you have read the WDC blog regularly, you will know that we have often discussed the issue of Japanese vote buying at the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Japan has even admitted to using overseas development…
Read MoreJapanese Antarctic whaling fleet sets sail
Unfazed by the results of this year´s meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which decided on a new process for so called “research” whaling, two Japanese whaling ships have left the port of Shimonoseki, Japan. The fleet of four whaling vessels and a crew of 185 in total, intends killing 333 minke whales under the guise…
Read MoreAre the Japanese people growing tired of whaling?
The influential Japanese news title, the Asahi Shimbun, through an editorial, is calling on the Japanese Government to change its whaling strategy. In its editorial of November 1st 2016, titled It’s time for Japan to change its controversial whaling strategy, the paper believes that at this year’s meeting of the International Whaling Commission, ‘Japan appears to have…
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