Entries by Rachel Bailey

"Most of the time while I was here the weather was good, cozy and dry and therby quite the opposite of the dolphin hunts which were horrible." That's what Hans Peter told me before his departure from Taiji. Since I've been here the weather has been the opposite of what Hans Peter described. It's raining from time to time, and in the Kii-mountians nearby it's snowing. Today it rained cats and dogs. And on top of that the wind blows and there are high waves. Therefore it's impossible for the dolphin hunters to leave the harbour.

So we're enjoying really nice, wonderful weather. It's the 5th day in a row that no dolphins had to die in the notorious Hatajiri-bay near Taiji. That enables other activities. There are fantastic cultural treasures close by; shrines, temples and abbeys. Perfectly preserved and with great ambiance. They have gained the honor "Unesco world cultural heritage" - and they live up to it too!

I seized the day to visit some holy places. The longer I stay here, the more I realise how many wonderful and beautiful places near Taiji exist, waiting for us to explore them. I would return to this place as a tourist immediately and at any time, but only if the cruel slaughter of the dolphins in the cove of Taiji is history.

Florian Koch

The latest from Taiji.
By Hans Peter Roth - WDCS rep on the ground.

After five weeks my trip to Japan draws to an end. It was by far the most difficult and most shocking trip I have made. But it has also been the most intense, the most exciting and the most hopeful journey.

At this point I once more want to give my sincere thanks to all the people and societies who with all their different efforts made it possible for me to be here.

One special thank is going to the WDCS. Without you, I (literally) wouldn't be where I am now! Thank you so much for your relentless efforts! Many thanks also to OceanCare and Pro Wildlife.

But the ending of my trip to Japan doesn't mean that no one is left to observe what's happening here! One week ago my dear friend from Switzerland, Florian Koch, arrived here. During the time we both were here together I was able to explain the most important details to him and show him everything he has to know. Therefore he's already up to speed.

Florian has been interested in marine mammal conservation for many years. He has already been part of two research trips on the Mediterranean, made one TV-broadcast on the issue of the dolphin hunts and has even met Ric O'Barry in person.

He came to Japan on his own free will and with private capital, without the help of any society, and we are very thankful that he is willing and able to step in and fill the gap. Until the 22nd of February he is going to report the recent events from here - so you will see that future blogs will be from Florian.

Many thanks for your efforts, Florian!

Hans Peter Roth

Latest news from Taiji
By Hans Peter Roth - WDCS rep on the ground

It's a very special feeling if you're suddenly able to leave the harbour of Katsura - nearby village of Taiji - in your 'own' boat. "Welcome!" Michael Dalton smiles friendly and mischievous and signals us to climb aboard. Together with Yoshiko Wada, a young japanese woman, who has been helping us with our efforts to stop the dolphin hunt in Japan since December 2010, we are driving with the boat towards the open sea.

A splendid vessel from the coast guard is already waiting for us. People from the 'West' driving around off Taiji in their own boat is a cause of sensation! The whole story is indeed quite juicy. The boat belongs to Ady Gil, an animal-loving millionaire from Los Angeles. He is the one who in 2009 gave $1million to Sea Shepherd so that they could buy the black powerboat which helped to give the Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean a hard time.

But the futuristic speedboat named "Ady Gil" was rammed by a Japanese whaling vessel and sank one year ago. A rather strange incident. For me - and lots of others - it seems like it was a mistake made by the pilot of the speedboat... Anyway, in the end it all went too far for Ady Gil and he now invests his money in a little project off the coast of Taiji. That's what he told me in person when I met him here in January. The little yacht, in which Michael, Yoshiko Kyoko, my good friend Florian from Switzerland and I are going to drive around off Taiji for a few hours, is part of this project.

The mood is as marvellous as the bright sun of the quiet morning. I wouldn't have believed that such a journey was possible. But here we are and we are suddenly able to observe everything from the ocean perspective. The harbour, the dolphinarium, the cove... And again, we become aware of the beauty of the landscape surrounding us. It couldn't be more perfect for tourists. But then we discover the hunting boats while we are still 'accompanied' by the coast guard. The happy mood gives way to tension. For the first time, we are watching the dolphin hunters from this perspective.


(Nautical map showing the area off Taiji. The harbour, the lagoon of the dolphinarium and in between the cove can be found as the grey coloured peninsula at the right of centre (c) Hans Peter Roth)

The hunting boats are approaching a lighthouse on a rock about 1.5 miles out of Taiji. Is this a drive hunt? Everything seems chaotic. The boats are obviously on their way to the harbour - but this clearly can't be a drive hunt. The hunters are returning without prey. The death cove remained empty for the sixth day in a row. We as well are returning to the harbour - relieved! In front us, a quiet day without new anguish.

Hans Peter Roth

The latest news from Taiji
By Hans Peter Roth – WDCS rep on the ground.

Chaotic Pursuit
26.01.11

Pacific White-Sided Dolphins are among the fastest and most athletic of dolphin species. These beautiful black and white marked marine mammals usually don’t stray too close to land.

Today the hunters have managed to herd a particularly large school of about 50 dolphins. The baiting doesn’t last long. But eventually the tormentors chase their prey closer and closer to the fatal Cove of Taiji.

But, just as we have settled down in our look-out, something happens that makes me rejoice inside. Suddenly, the dolphin school divides itself up and both groups start tearing towards the open ocean at full speed. The chimneys of the hunting boats release billows of black smoke. The hunters try to regain control of the fleeing dolphins with chaotic manoeuvres. Almost all of the dolphins manage to escape successfully. The baiters give up. Only three dolphins get tangled and caught in the nets.

Beyond the harbour, the nets hang horseshoe-shaped in the open water. One dolphin is thrown, alive, into an enclosure in the harbour. The rest die. The baiters try to transport the lifeless bodies past us unnoticed. But the drive to the slaughterhouse makes everything crystal-clear: captured alive and killed – once again simultaneously.

Hans Peter Roth

The latest news from Taiji
By Hans Peter Roth – WDCS rep on the ground.

No mercy for bottlenose dolphins
25.01.2011

Early in the morning this day dolphin hunters spotted a group of dolphins near Taiji.

Already at 8am they chased the stressed mammals directly into the killing cove. The highly social animals were huddling and circling their youngest. The hunters usually show no mercy – no mercy for babies or mothers or pregnant dolphins.

Soon the boats with the hunters return. They’re accompanied by dolphin trainers from Taiji Whale Museum who are carrying the typical slings for catching live dolphins. How can these trainers assist the hunters?

The boat with the trainers leaves the killing cove after a short while. The slings are empty, and the killing of 10 bottlenose dolphins begins.


Hans Peter Roth

The latest news from the Cove in Taiji, Japan.
By Hans Peter Roth – WDCS rep on the ground.


The one who escapes
23.01.2011

Today it’s the Rissos dolphins’ turn again. After a long drive a dozen of them were trapped in the killing cove. Outside the harbour of Taiji the dolphin school of approx. 20 individuals suddenly splits up. About 8 dolphins couldn’t be captured. The rest are driven to their deaths.

Rissos dolphins are too heavy to be lifted on board the boats. A hunting vessel drags the dead dolphins tied to the side of the boat with cords and covered with green sheets to the harbour of Taiji. The hunters are forearmed against uninvited guests taking photos or videos here. The place where the dolphins are slaughtered is well covered with blue sheets.

Then I nearly dropped the camera. One surviving Rissos dolphin is swimming in the harbour! He must belong to the group that didn’t get caught and escaped. The individual must have got lost in the harbour. Again and again I could spot its back and dorsal fin with the unmistakable pattern. The dolphin is swimming in circles near the dolphin pens and is not leaving into the open ocean.
I watch nervously to see what is going to happen. It doesn’t take long until the boats with the hunters and nets are arriving. It is easy for the hunters to circle the anxious dolphin with a net. The social animal isn’t moving away from the nets because it hears the calls of his friends. The net is closed and the hunters drag the dolphin out of the water and place him onto a sling. Where will they take him? To the pens? To a dolphinarium? To the slaughterhouse? I wait fearfully.

The boat with the sling is passing – and heading to the open ocean. I hurry to the view point. Approx. one nautical mile from the harbour the hunters release the dolphin – alive – and return. At least one dolphin survived today.

If we were not watching the dolphin, certainly he would have become killed. I am convinced of that. I hope he finds his group soon and warns them: The waters of Taiji are dangerous.

Hans Peter Roth

Traditionally conservation scientists have viewed animal welfare with a bit of indifference. Animal welfare has been seen as the territory of the hippy animal rights activists, rather than a serious science that can help protect our planet. But that needs to change.

The Compassionate Conservation conference held in Oxford last week discussed how to make conservation better. After all, our planet has never before faced such enormous biodiversity loss. And the answer could be that conservation needs to become compassionate. It’s time to bring animal welfare out from the cold and join it with conservation science to create an attitude of really caring for the animal inhabitants of this planet.

You might think this is obvious stuff but it’s not as commonplace as you think. Seals are still hot-iron branded (a painful process where the scars can take up to a year to heal) to allow population research that might reveal an urgent conservation need. Hamsters are bred with the sole purpose of training endangered captive ferrets how to hunt so that they can be reintroduced to the wild. Kangaroos are inhumanely killed because they are considered 'pests'.

How can conservation move people to care about animals if conservation itself is not carried out in the most compassionate way? We need to think differently and be smarter about the way we practice conservation.

So what does this mean for dolphins and whales? Well a common reason for keeping these animals in captivity is that they are teaching people about the need to conserve them. But how can we really get across how amazing these creatures are and the need to protect them when all we see are bored, frustrated, stressed animals in a concrete puddle? Or worse, animals performing circus style tricks and making us laugh by splashing us with water? Conservation needs to be about caring for all individuals and not subjecting a few to cruelty in what might be a misguided effort to help protect the majority. If conservation is going to succeed it needs to lead from the front – treat all animals with the respect and care that we want to see for the whole species.


To find out more about the conference have a look here - presentations will be uploaded soon!