Press Release To the General Public “Countdown to the Cove & International Day of Awareness for the Dolphins of Japan”
“September 1, 2011 is the start of the Taiji Dolphin Hunt. During the 2010-2011 drive hunt, the Taiji Fisheries Union killed 850 dolphins. An additional 171 were sold into captivity. This has been happening every year for decades in Taiji Japan…” (excerpt from http://www.countdowntocove.com/)
Cheryl Gordon is the Houston Area Coordinator for the “International Day of Awareness for the Dolphins of Taiji” also referred to as “Save Japans Dolphin Day”. We are one of many locations rallying together to call attention to this atrocity and bring it to a grinding halt. This dolphin drive is driven by greed and public demand for the dolphin meat and entertainment. Many people are not aware that the Inland Dolphin Shows are directly tied to this drive. The sale of one dolphin to the Aquariums that are captured from Taiji or similar hunts is from $100,000 to $300,000 dollars. The dolphin hunts are very bloody and pods of dolphins are forced into and annihilated in The Cove, while a few are chosen each time to be sold to live out their lives in captivity, performing for the masses. Dolphins are a very social loving group, and the death of an entire pod of parents, siblings, & babies weigh heavily on the few that remain alive to be trained & sold to the Dolphin and Whale Entertainment Aquarium Centers. Many captured dolphins live very short lives dying from stress and disease. Their confined living conditions are not conducive to life. The general public is unaware of the huge turnover of dolphins for their entertainment.
A Houston educational and demonstrative Event will be held on Sept 1st in front of the General Consulate of Japan at 909 Fannin Street to bring attention to the general public that Taiji Japan dolphin hunts and slaughter will begin this day, and continue on until March of next year. It will continue Every Year unless we cause it to Stop. Our message is simple: JAPAN, LET THE DOLPHINS LIVE & BE FREE!!!
I am Inviting Anyone and Everyone that can, to come and participate in the educational demonstration here or any of the other places listed (a global map of participants is available @ http://www.savejapandolphins.org/). This will be a peaceful protest and we ask that the Message at this gathering be Positive. The Target of Focus is to be centered on education towards awareness and change in reference to the actual acts of condoning and killing of the dolphins, and not on the Japanese People in general.
There will be many things to look at at the Educational Table at the site of the Japanese Consulate, and there will also be a “Cove Guardian” here on site to explain her own experiences and the happenings at Taiji first hand. We also plan to have gifts for donations to the Cause of “Save Japans Dolphins”. The following location/schedule is for Houston, but this is a World Wide Event, and is happening at Japanese Embassies, & Consulates in quite a number of Places. If you cannot make it to the one in Houston, Please note that there are other things you can do to support this Cause. (See “More Info” Below)
Houston Location & Time:
909 Fannin Steet
Houston , Tx. 77010
Outside the Japanese Consulate
from 12:00 am – 4:00 pm
For MORE INFO:
http://www.countdowntocove.com/ and “International Day of Awareness for the Dolphins of Taiji”
created by Save Misty the Dolphin
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=196605907054900
https://www.facebook.com/Savemistythedolphin and
“The Cove” watch the free Cove documentary on line @ www.documentarywire.com
http://www.savejapandolphins.org/blog/post/celebrate-japan-dolphins-day
Cheryl Gordon, Event Coordinator for Houston’s Event: “International Day of Awareness for the Dolphins of Taiji Japan” also referred to as Save “Japan Dolphins Day”
Taiji, Japan - Dolphins Dying to Entertain 