Blog

Keeping that Orca in ANY artificial enclosure like that is effectively the same thing as locking a child in a bathtub for thirty years, with drums and speed metal and Rap all playing at loud volumes all the time, and then forcing him to do inane tricks for carrion so he'll have SOMEthing to eat. It's no wonder that they go slightly mad. The miracle is that they don't do far worse far sooner. I've heard some speculation about euthanizing him. There's only one thing that should -- no, MUST be done with that Orca (and all the other cetaceans being held like that:) SET THEM FREE. No talk about how they couldn't make it in the wild. They're at least as smart in their environment as we are in ours, and far better equipped. Don't allow anyone to use that as an excuse to keep him enslaved or kill him. He'll figure it out, maybe even have a family of his own yet. If not, at least he'll finally be free of the torture, the living hell of being locked up like that. Set the cetaceans free!

I immediately thought of you guys when I heard about this story. Interesting incident...but not particularly surprising. I really hope that this is a chance for people to recognize that such (or really any) animals should not be kept in captivity. Unfortunately, I've been hearing that some predict the population of whales in captivity will increase due to curiosity. All we can do is continue spreading the message and hope it gets across in time.

It is a tragedy that these poor dolphins and whales that are imprisoned at SeaWorld or any entertainment arena get post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety for doing stupid tricks all day. Please help spread the word for people to watch "The Cove" and be proactive in writing companies like Blackstone Group who owns SeaWorld to let these intelligent animals go free. There is power in numbers. Please post as much as you can to websites and forums. These animals cannot speak up for themselves so it's our job to speak up for them. Post on craigslist. I teach a college course and I make sure that my students are aware of this and recommended to them to watch "The Cove". I feel it's our responsibility to spread the word and put pressure on large corporations to let these beautiful marine animals free.

Heard of the news today and reminded me of your documentary and the fact as you have mentionned that this could have been prevented. "The Cove" is definitely something that everyone should see.

Free Tili!

I hope the Cove wins an Oscar this week, and that you have a moment to say "Free Tilikum" when your group accepts it! Good luck!

I think we should boycot all Japanese products, especially sushi restaurants

We can lead the way to open healthy oceans together by setting Tilikum free! He needs to be with "his People" in the wild.

Protest Only our cultures like you are correct, and anger is intensely felt for the Christianity really human nature that doesn't admit other sense of values and the cultures. You might go into raptures pressure in this winning worldwide compared with "Sense of values different from us" ..putting... Phone calls and the threat of the protest pour in to local taken a candid shot of, and it is endangered of life. You do not do help to the situation, and your it natural idea : exactly. ｢Themselves are always correct and satisfied of those barbarians. Hahahahaha」. ｣It is likely to become evidence to think. It is nonsense no matter how it barks on the homepage. The mayor in Wakayama Prefecture Taiji-cho sangenkazutaka｢First of all, there is a scenario to have to convey a fact if it is a documentary and is coming [de] deliberation though the movie was seen. It is extremely regrettable that the movie to disregard the tradition of fishing won. ｣With the criticism. sugimorimiya of the town fishery cooperative was resented , saying that "It worries about the use of winning to the anti-whaling campaign". Do you remember the face of the person they, in towns,The face that they suffer might be seen and "Congratulations on Academy Award" and sake have a hearty laugh at the animal while drinking as for you and the staff because of the multiplied character as man, there is not a mind of sympathy, and either the bottom of one's hearts. And, even the thought thing like feelings etc. of the other party exposed to the criticism might not be done. The United States value might be correct, and the culture and the value of the town in small Japan get conceited like the zero. It is not an exaggeration to say that the person who doesn't admit other sense of values and the cultures like you will cause the war. The National Geographic company will not be able to take a picture any longer with you naturally of where of Japan. Because it comes to be criticized all over the world like the will of self-importance when you admit. You who gave a hard blow to barbarous country Japan might have a mind neither closing the ear nor to be going to come to Japan in the future to the voice of the local. Please relieve. It was this time and you and Japan were come to a rupture through all eternity. Never come to Japan.

To the previous poster; You speak of culture and tradition and yet you hide behind blue tarps. The makers of this film tried to get permission to film and were denied. Why all the secrecy? If dolphin meat is safe for consumption why did the Taiji Town office take it off the menu at elementary schools? I hope other Japanese have a chance to see this film. Dolphin drive hunts are not Japanese culture, they are Taiji's culture which is hidden from all, even other Japanese.

I think their is misunderstanding. Director Louie Psihoyos has been quoted several times referring to the film as, "A love letter to the Japanese people". His goal is not to cause turmoil but to help stop the actions in Taiji and save the unaware Japanese public from Mercury poisoning. Many people criticize the film without watching it and make the mistake that the film is "bashing Japanese" this is not in any way shape or form the intention of the film. OPS is a peaceful organization trying to save the ocean through education and collaborative action, not violence.

Why isn't dolphin hunting good? Why isn't whale hunting good? I do not understand. Dolphin hunting is a tradition that has continued for as many as 400 years in Taiji-cho and a culture though I have not eaten the dolphin. Is the problem of mercury based on the announcement of Taiji-cho and Wakayama Prefecture? How do you differ from the pig, the cow, and the sheep? The Japanese is disgusted at the movie with which "hypocrisy" like The COVE is filled.

The film was surely successful in a way that it alerts many people who had no idea what is going on in the town. However, was there another way to reveal it? Why did it have to be so aggressive? It was so Hollywood. Wasn't there more peaceful way to make the film if the makers are so confident in promoting the conservation of the peaceful sea life? You could have stayed in the town never to give up meeting more people and talking with them until the fact could have started to reveal itself ! I believe that is the documentary. That is the people who really want to know the truth and who can really help.

If there are any anti-slaughter of cow/pig/bull activists out there who wants to change this world, there would be movies made on those slaughtered animals as well!!! See this: http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/ KFC's culture and tradition has to stop too! Did you really think it is always about Taiji & Japan?

"How do you differ from the pig, the cow, and the sheep?" /Anonymous Well, Japanese people ALSO eat Cows & Pigs, so your comparision dosen't work at all. And by the way, its also unethical to sell Dolphin meat labeled as Whale Meat. Its not fair towards the customers of Japan. (If for example Pork would be sould as Lamb meat in my country, it would create mass protests) You should be thankful towards OPS for uncovering these things. However, was there another way to reveal it? Why did it have to be so aggressive? /Yuko Have you seen the movie at all Yuko? They tried to film it legally, and before they decided to go "undercover" they held a town meeting with the officials of Taji. But they were forced not to film The Cove by the officials! So, the answer is, they could have filmed the movie in a less agressive way, IF the officals of Taji would have allowed them into The Cove in the first place.

And by the way Carlos, i think its a very very bad idea to boycot all Japanese products. It would be a cruel way to punish the Japanese citizens. The citizens of Taji are themselves victims of bad choices made by the Dolphin-capture industry, local & government officials & fishermen. Taji has allways been part of the Dolphins migration routes, instead of killing and capturing the Taji Dolphins. The officials could start "Snorkle & dive with wild dolphins"-programs. In the Azores for example, these kinds of programs have proved to be a multi million dollar industry! People are travelling from all over the world to the Azores to swim with wild Whales & Dolphins! Wake up Taji officals! Take advantage of the migration routes in a better way, in the long term, you will profit from it.

For fishing for tuna, millions heads of dolphins slaughtered by U.S. about 25 years. the spotted dolphins of 75 percent of the eastern Pacific (its of 50 percent of the world) killed by the United States. USA imposed legal controls on selling only "Dolphin Safe" (tuna caught without harming dolphins) in a rush to 90's, Despite USA eased restrictions by the pressure on companies just 10 years later. Today, For Americans eat tuna canned labeled "dolphin-friendly", Dolphins are killed by USA. Dolphin fishing continues even 400 years and fishing still available at Taiji without extinction. which is The barbarian?

Its great that you write about the Tuna fishing, its a serious problem. But you are missing one crucial thing. The Cove has never been about portraying Japanese people as barbarians. The movie works as a metafor for what is happening in the ocans worldwide(The Cove also mentions overfishing) Im sure that its possible that OPS will do a documentary about Tuna Fishing in the future. Then why did OPS make a movie about Taji? And not about Tuna-fishing? Well, its because Dolphin casualties in Tuna nets is a famous fact (now, like you said, we have "Dolphin Safe-tuna" in many stores worldwide) But, when The Cove was being made, not even Greenpeace reported about what was happening in Taji! But now, thanks to the movie, Greenpeace members are beginning to learn about Taji! Its about prioritizing, if you just fill the movie with all information on Dolphin Slaughter worldwide, it would be unwatchable, you have to deal with a certain amount of subjects at a time. And OPS chose to deal with a subject that has been hid by the Japanese Government, a subject that has been ignored by NGO´s worldwide, so i think OPS chose the subject wisley! In your comment you wrote that Dolphins aren't extinct in Taji. Well thats true, But IKI for example had no Dolphins left because of Dolphinslaughter, and had to import Dolphins from Taji for their Dolphin Shows. Is OK to keep slaughtering whales & dolphins just because they aren't extinct in Taji? Im sorry to say this, but thats the most ridiculous argument i have ever heard in my life. Like i said before, YO, you are Japanese! why aren't you arguing for "Swim With Free Dolphin-programs" in Taji? Its a more sustainable way to profit from the Dolphins migration routes. Be lucky that you have Dolphins in Japan! We only have a small small amount of whales in Sweden, i would love to Scubadive with free whales and dolphins. If they would end the slaughter of big & small whales in Taji, and start "Swim with free Dolphins & Whales programs" i would directly take my money and spend all of it in Taji.(Hell, id even buy new underwater-cameras from Taji if it would happen)

YO how did you know about the dolphins killed in tuna nets? How did you know about NGO's working for dolphin safe tuna? Because the media in the US reports on these subjects, even though the tuna fisherman were upset. Compare that with Japan, where the gov't and media had a total blackout on news from Taiji. It took foreigners to come and make a movie so that other Japanese could learn what was going on. Because the makers of the Cove started testing the dolphin meat, people in Taiji learned it was dangerous and the people of Taiji took it out of school lunches. I'm sure you're familiar with the term "gaiatsu" or pressure from the outside. Sometimes this is the only way to bring needed change to Japan.

Hahaha,liberal? Thats really not a correct label. A liberal is a naive person who thinks that the market regulates itself, in others words; a liberal would trust that the fishing industry automatically would stop fishing endangered species(to secure long term profits)

WOW. You all claim to be animal rights activists, and yet by supporting the release of all captive cetaceans, you are supporting a slow, horrifying death for all of them. If claim to know so much about higher cetaceans, you should then know that releasing Tilikum would only result in suffering and death. Isn't that what you all got when Keiko was released? Don't believe the lies. Keiko died of starvation and pneumonia, not from old age. He suffered quietly until he was found dead on a beach. Im sure he was glad to be free! Orcas have a VERY elaborate social order. If Tilikum were released at his age, he would not fit in with neither a transient bachelor group (because of his age) nor an established resident pod (because of his age). By his age, he would already know a pod's particular dialect and would have been accepted into a breeding pod. Releasing him would subject him to social rejection and potentially lethal attacks from other orcas. He has NEVER had to capture a single food item. He's eating primarily fish that have been handed to him. It would be very difficult to teach him to be a successful hunter. Even if he had a 50% success rate, which is a high end estimate, he could still potentially starve, just like Keiko. And then there is the issue of disease. Face it, captivity for him has provided him a sort of quarantine from various diseases and afforded him heard heath by proxy. He hasn't been exposed to pfisteria or cholera, and he's recieved top notch veterinary care at the first sign of medical problems. He has no immunity to the things he could potentially face in the ocean. I am probably one of the few animal welfare enthusiasts that you would meet who doesn't believe releasing captive animals is the only way to improve their lives. I truly believe that the world could learn a lot from Tilikum, and releasing him would be a definite way to slowly and inhumanely kill the problem off without having to feel guilty about euthanizing him. It is my belief that Tilikum should remain in captivity, but of course only for educational and breeding purposes. I feel that his days of performing for the public should be over. No amount of trust would ever make this animal safe again. He's figured out how to drown another air breathing mammal. He's definitely a danger to all those who work around him, and everyone knows it. But releasing him would only harm him, and for people who claim to care about the animal, Im appalled that you all immediately jump to the one solution that will prove a cruel end for Tilikum.

A little story about SeaWorld, I started a company in early 1990"selling apparel to Corporations and Amusements etc. Because of my love of dolphins I named it Dolphin Cove. SeaWorld loved my line and put it in all their parks. A few years later they decided to name all their Dolphin areas "Dolphin Cove" without informing me and then told me to sue them that they would keep me in court for years which I couldn't afford. Great company.

JT, how on earth can you say that they're at least as smart as we are in our environment? They're IN the environment that they know. If you took a city dweller in the USA and put them in the brush in Africa, their survival would be difficult and stressful. At a certain point you have to weigh the odds. And at a certain point you have to weigh the quality of life. There's just simply no right answer. These animals have been wronged by being taken captive. There's no making that right. Setting them free is a death sentance. What has to happen is making people understand that we can learn from these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat without the need to capture them. We have to leave nature alone if our ecosystems are to survive.

People of Japan, who are reading this blog: overfishing of the world's oceans (by Japan; by the United States; by all countries) is what has reduced the fish count - not dolphins. Only one lusty, insatiable creature kills more, More, MORE than it can EVER eat: MAN. Man, regardless of his nation, kills until he can kill no more, and then surpasses even that. DO NOT BLAME THE DOLPHIN; blame yourself. All of us are guilty of this - whether we were on the fishing boat or turning a blind eye to the problem. Dolphins are being killed; tuna are being killed; sharks are being killed IN RECORD NUMBERS and our oceans will COLLAPSE if we do not stop. Arrogant United States; Arrogant Japan; Arrogant citizens of the world's nations all for allowing this. If the delicate ocean food chain collapses at any level - and it is so close - humans will not be far behind. Sharks, dolphins, whales, fish coral reefs of all kinds have been around much longer than humans (sharks are prehistoric, existing when the dinosaurs ruled) and yet, humans appear and have nearly destroyed - to literally one inch of its life, and ALL LIFE - the world's oceans in less than a few decades. In the blink of an eye, this world and everything in it will be gone if the oceans collapse. We MUST change, and change NOW - before it's too late. We are ALL guilty, and it's time ALL NATIONS, ALL PEOPLE, come together to save the world's oceans, and the creatures within them, their delicate food chain, before we destroy ourselves and our world further. This is so critical, so important - more than anything else. If the oceans collapse - which they will, if we continue this way - the human race will be die off and be destroyed soon after. Thank you, 'THE COVE' cast and crew - for this movie, for your love and respect of dolphins and all the oceans of the world, and for your faith and activism. And also for your part in the closure of 'The Hump' in Santa Monica.

Why don't you criticize the oil spills accident? Why don't you go to help? Whales ,Dolphins and Tunas might die. Even if it is not so, other wild animals are dying.