20 lessons learnt from ‘The Cove’, which is an intriguing must-see, be one a dolphin lover or not…
1. Dolphins are not all happy just because they appear to be ‘smiling’.
2. Dolphins are easily stressed by sounds as they are audibly sensitive.
3. Forcing dolphins to train and perform in public places is incredibly stressful for them.
4. Dolphins are so intelligent that they can be well-trained, but it doesn’t mean they like that.
5. Taiji residents ‘celebrate’ the presence of dolphins in their area, but with killing too. What irony!
6. Around 23,000 dolphins are massacred at the secret cove in Taiji yearly.
7. Taiji’s cove is secret because it hides guilty consciences of fishermen, even from other Japanese.
8. You can eat dolphin meat at Taiji’s dolphinariums too. What irony!
9. Dolphins are whales too, and their meat is often passed off as whale meat.
10. Activists have been murdered when they oppose dolphin capture ‘too much’.
11. Dolphins have been known to save humans, so it is only natural that humans should save them too.
12. Is killing and eating whales okay just because it is a tradition? Bloody traditions should end.
13. There is no such thing as an improved killing method if there is still loss of life.
14. Endangered whales do not eat too much fish, while humans eat too much fish, including whales.
15. It is predicted that sea will be depleted of fish in 40 years at the current rate of killing.
16. Dolphin meat has 20 times more mercury than permitted and is still consumed worldwide.
17. Whales (and dolphins) are not the big sacred cows of the sea, as all sentient lives are sacred.
18. It doesn’t matter that dolphins are smaller whales, as they are still whales.
19. Likewise, the size of other sentient beings doesn’t matter as they are still sentient.
20. One is an activist or not. Be one now – by visiting http://savejapandolphins.org and spread the word.
As the end song sings, ‘We could be heroes, just for one day’ – even if in a limited way. The free viewing of the movie was sponsored by the ‘Save the World’s Saddest Dolphins’ campaign by ACRES. Do visit http://saddestdolphins.com for more information and action.
