Killing machine

As Cove Guardians we have all different positions on hunting days. That way we can monitor everything that is happening and often that is on more then one place at the same time. This morning, as the boats went out, i stayed with Valentina in the harbour, to keep an eye on the pens, were 50/60 bottlenose dolphins are held for weeks, waiting for a buyer.

Boats leave port

The boats stayed out long and well over 9.30 (the time they usually stop), we got the call from our fellow cove guardians at the look-out point, that they had been spotted on the horizon in driving formation. At about the same time, Val and i saw the men from the coast guard getting ready with their inflatible zodiac and we saw skiffs loaded with nets leave port in the direction of the cove.

Val at the harbour

Coastguard protecting who ?

We don't want you to see what we do !

Quickly we changed position, and i went with Liam to the cove. There we waited. After a while, i heard the rumbling sound of a diesel engine and then another. Seconds later i saw the first of the 12 killerboats come from behind the rocks that outline the cove, followed by the rest. In their middle was a pod of about 20 beautiful striped dolphins. The men in the killerboats were constantly hammering on the steel poles, and from the skiffs they were throwing big peaces of steel (tied on ropes) in the water to scare the animals in the right direction, the killer cove....In panic and totally freaked out, they hurdled together into what was to be their final destination. Very fast,the cove was netted off and right after that it went silent. From my position i couldn't see anything, the cove is fenced off everywhere. 

Again, they don't like people to see their dirty business in Taiji. But i knew exactly what was going on. Right now they were killing this magnificant animals and shortly after, the skiffs loaded with dead dolphins left the cove.

Again we changed position and we went to the butcherhouse were the body's were chopped up, in no time transformed from a graceful, intelligent, sensitive sea mammal, into a pile of bloody chunks of meat.

Dolphins driven into the cove

The thing that struck me today, was the speed of the whole operation. Taiji is a good oiled, well organized and highly effective killing machine. As the boats were driving in the pod, they radio,ed what species of dolphins they had, so that the men could prepare the cove. (the sides of the cove had to be covered with tarps. Striped dolphins often panic so much, that they throw themselves on the sharp rocks, injuring themselves badly and exposing a bloodbath to the world to see. It has nothing to do with compassion for the animals)

"Protection"

Men in skiffs scare the whole pod with their outboard engines to the end of the cove, were the killers are standing ready to do their work. Others then quickly transport the body´s to the slaughterhouse were the butchers are waiting. Meanwhile all the meatbuyers get a call that fresh dolphinmeat is available.

Loaded with killers and pray

In just a few hours, a family of dolphins, that was happily roaming the wide ocean, now leaves the parkinglot in big plastic bins on pickup trucks, still warm and covered by tarps.

The blood is spilled. The tarps can go down

As i said yesterday, the horrors i have seen so far in only 4 days that i´ve been here, only made me more determine then ever to stop all that is happening here. Please keep sharing all the news you read from Taiji. Together we can make a change.

Today we welcomed two new Cove Guardians from Australia ! They will be introduced on the official cove guardians page. Keep following us folks.
We can´t do it alone. Thanks for all your support.
And thank you for reading my blog.


Love, Willem