A dolphin massacre

**Randi** · 09-14-2010, 03:55 PM

I have just watched a documentary called "The Cove" and I was in tears. Have any of you seen it? If not, you really should! It's very sad, but also uplifting that Ric O’Barry and others have done such an amazing work to try to save the dolphins. They are true heroes in my book! I hope the whole world get to know what is/has been going on!

The below is from this site: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/cove/

The Cove begins in Taiji, Japan, where former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry has come to set things right after a long search for redemption. In the 1960s, it was O’Barry who captured and trained the 5 dolphins who played the title character in the international television sensation “Flipper.”

But his close relationship with those dolphins – the very dolphins who sparked a global fascination with trained sea mammals that continues to this day – led O’Barry to a radical change of heart. One fateful day, a heartbroken Barry came to realize that these deeply sensitive, highly intelligent and self-aware creatures so beautifully adapted to life in the open ocean must never be subjected to human captivity again. This mission has brought him to Taiji, a town that appears to be devoted to the wonders and mysteries of the sleek, playful dolphins and whales that swim off their coast.

But in a remote, glistening cove, surrounded by barbed wire and “Keep Out” signs, lies a dark reality. It is here, under cover of night, that the fishermen of Taiji, driven by a multi-billion dollar dolphin entertainment industry and an underhanded market for mercury-tainted dolphin meat, engage in an unseen hunt. The nature of what they do is so chilling — and the consequences are so dangerous to human health — they will go to great lengths to halt anyone from seeing it.

Undeterred, O’Barry joins forces with filmmaker Louis Psihoyos and the Oceanic Preservation Society to get to the truth of what’s really going on in the cove and why it matters to everyone in the world. With the local Chief of Police hot on their trail and strong-arm fishermen keeping tabs on them, they will recruit an “Ocean’s Eleven”-style team of underwater sound and camera experts, special effects artists, marine explorers, adrenaline junkies and world-class free divers who will carry out an undercover operation to photograph the off-limits cove, while playing a cloak-and-dagger game with those who would have them jailed. The result is a provocative mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure and arresting imagery that adds up to an urgent plea for hope.

The Cove is directed by Louie Psihoyos and produced by Paula DuPre Pesman and Fisher Stevens. The film is written by Mark Monroe. The executive producer is Jim Clark and the co-producer is Olivia Ahnemann.

**pomtzu** · 09-14-2010, 04:22 PM

Yes - it was on here a few weeks ago - on NatGeo I think. It was very upsetting to watch, and thru all his efforts, the slaughter went on anyway. The ariel view of The Cove - bright red water on one side, and beautiful clear blue for bathers on the other side - what a terrible sight. O'Barry and his son work together on this, and they said at the end of the show, that they were headed for a different location next - one just as horrible as The Cove I would presume.
Killing those dolphins was bad enough, but to see the treatment of them after they were dead, was just as bad. The sad part - it's all legal in Taiji.

ETA: It aired as Blood Dolphins and it was on Animal Planet. There was one on Sept 3 - Solomon Islands/Part1, but I missed that one, and Solomon Islands/Part 2 airs this Friday, Sept 17 at 9 p.m. Eastern time on Animal Planet, if anyone might be interested.

**kitten645** · 09-16-2010, 10:50 PM

I watched it in tears as well. My brother was planning on having my nephews bday at Marine World because they have the Thomas the Train licence (Logans FAVORITE!) Brother saw the documentary and called to tell everyone it was off. I watched it and will never support "Seaworld" type parks again.
Claudia

**blue** · 09-18-2010, 12:22 AM

Im almost done watching this. The argument from the Japanese .gov that the dolphins are eating to much fish may be valid, but not valid enough to hunt dolphins out of existence.

I have said on here that I would eat whale meat if was ethically and traditionally taken, my stance on that hasnt changed. What I have learned about the mercury levels in dolphin meat I would not partake, unless it was an extreme circumstance.

**blue** · 09-18-2010, 12:49 AM

First off, if Rick O'Barry feels he started this good for him for taking the initiative to stop it. Im not sure he started the problem, but damn glad he is trying to do anything he can to stop it. In fact if it werent for Flipper the Japanese would probably still be doing this without us being any the wiser.

The last few minutes with the Japanese representative saying he was proud of the improvements in the killing process and the collection of data reminded me of what I learned at the Holocaust Museum in DC. That disgusted me the most.

Hunting and fishing I have no problem with. What I saw in this documentary was not hunting or fishing. That was wholesale exploitation and slaughter, if my definitions of either are wrong please correct me.

This another part of Japanese culture that disgusts me but I am still fascinated by it and want to visit there and learn their language. They need to learn to hunt/fish for sustainability.

While I wasnt left in tears by this movie the last 15 minutes are pretty rough.

**blue** · 09-18-2010, 02:19 AM

I just thought of something and now I have to watch this again. Did the director inflect her/his opinion into the film? Yes the film was made to document what has been happening but did the director skew the filming one way or the other?

Initially I dont think so. I think it was a documentary about a man who is trying to right a wrong he thinks he caused. I dont think he caused the atrocities we saw in the film. The message could have been made without the DBag Captain of the Sea Shepherd.