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The Cove reveals the cruel slaughter
From September to March every year， thousands of dolphins will gather around the water area of Taiji to enjoy the rich fish resources in this area. However， the local fishermen take this as a great opportunity to hunt the dolphins. They sail towards the dolphins in droves to kill the adorable creatures.
The reason why Taiji got the attention of the world and the killing of dolphins got exposed was that the public show of the documentary film The Cove produced by a dolphin trainer Richard O'Barry and his team. Ten years ago， Richard O'Barry accidentally found out the “secret” of Taiji and the long battle to fight against the killing of dolphins started.
The director of The Cove， Louie Psihoyos， was a photographer of National Geography and he was also a diver， fond of photographing underwater. Louie Psihoyos heard of the horrible news at a forum attended by marine mammal experts. Richard O'Barry was also there then. However， his speech was cancelled by the organizer called Sea World. Psihoyos was very curious why O'Barry had been deprived of the right to speak. So Psihoyos asked O'Barry for the reason and thus he got to know the cruel slaughter at the secret bay in Japan. Psihoyos was deeply shocked by this. His profession instinct prompted him to expose the cruel reality hidden behind those cliffs to the public. Psihoyos and O'Barry hit it off immediately and prepared to go to Taiji to find out the truth.
Under the sponsorship of the legendary billionaire in Silicon Valley Jim Clark， Psihoyos began to organize his “special troops” for shooting. Psihoyos’ friends participated in the shooting and offered to help. They were all experts in various fields. Among them， there was a Canadian female champion of diving and free diving coach who installed cameras and hydrophones underwater， an effect company which offered a fake stone model to put the cameras in and a former Canadian air force officer who built an unpiloted aircraft to assist the shooting. There were 47 of equipment including high-definition cameras without heat source and camouflage clothing only used in military. At night， the shooting team were equipped and dressed in camouflage clothing with their faces covered with painting. They did a secret work under the cover of night.
This shooting was more like a spy action with police’s shadowing and questioning， and the screaming and threatening of fishermen. The town took a totally uncooperative attitude. The mayor even directly told Psihoyos that if he got too close to those fishermen who hunted dolphins， he would not only get injured but also lose his life. The unconventional team， equipment and shooting environment were just like a nightmare for Psihoyos who took the responsibility of director for the first time. The pictures the photographing team got are completely shocking： after the slaughter began， the clear and blue water instantly became scarlet and the plaintive whine resounded throughout the sky. Gradually， what they hear was only the laughter of fishermen and what they saw were only the dead dolphins floating up and down， and the bloody waves flapping on the rocks.
Is “the festival of killing dolphins” a Japanese tradition？
Taiji faces the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by cliffs. There are 3，600 residents living in the town and among them about one third live on fishing. On the surface， the town is full of the atmosphere of love for cetaceans （Dolphins belong to cetacean）. In the center of the town， there is a smiling whale model and ferryboats painted in the forms of dolphins. The floor slabs are painted with the personified image of dolphins. Signs writing “We love dolphins” are on the roads and there is a temple especially built to worship whales’ spirits. However， cruel killing lies behind all these glories.
As early as in the 17th century， people in Taiji began to hunt and kill dolphins and whales and they even proudly called Taiji “the town of whales”. From Edo period， Taiji has been famous because it is the first place in Japan to adopt “ancient whaling method”. Today， the main income resources of local fishermen are still hunting dolphins and small whales. The fishermen in Taiji invented spear whaling methods. Taiji ， “the town of whales”， became the birthplace of traditional Japanese whaling methods. In modern society， whaling has become the important income source of local residents. In 1986， International Whaling Commission （IWC） issued a ban on commercial whaling but a year later， the action of “limited whaling” still existed in the name of “research” and the number of dolphins and small whales killed in Japan tripled.
In Japan， more than 40，000 dolphins are hunted or killed every year which are mainly used for food and as an important income source. The price of a good dolphin can reach 100，000 pounds. The ocean parks from all over the world will purchase the suitable dolphins for performance in Japan. Currently， there are nearly 80 aquariums in Japan， and cetaceans are raised in nearly 40 aquariums. The dolphins caught usually will die in two years while those dolphins which have not been chosen will be food for the residents. 5，000 tons of dolphin meat is on the Japanese market. Some schools even make dolphin meat their main food because they think that dolphin meat is rich in nutrition and the price is very reasonable. In early 2014， American Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy wrote an essay on social network saying： “The American government holds objections to fishing methods of rounding up dolphins， and is concerned with the inhumanity of capturing and killing dolphins. The Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun made a response to this on February 25， saying that the Japanese government had made public their attitudes towards Kennedy’s objection to hunting dolphins. The Japanese government argued in the statement of defense saying “Rounding up dolphins is one of our traditional fisheries and is implemented based on law.” The statement of defense also emphasizes： “Our government holds that cetaceans including dolphins are important aquatic resources and should be used sustainably based on science.” In addition， the Japanese government also said： “The Japanese government will strive to get the understanding of hunting dolphins from countries and societies.”
Richard O'Barry： The smiles of dolphins are the greatest deception
Richard O'Barry is the initiator and narrator of The Cove. In the 1960s， Richard O'Barry was the synonym of dolphin training and performance. The performance of dolphins O'Barry created fascinated the children of the 1960s. When asked upon what they wanted to do after growing up， they would answer unhesitatingly that they wanted to be “marine biologists”. In addition， this aroused the boom of establishing dolphin arias all over the world. However， since the 1970s， the only thing he wants to do and keeps doing is to release the dolphins. Once a performing dolphin committed suicide gloomily in his arm which gave him a great shock and made him begin to reflect. The suicide of the dolphin completely changed O'Barry’s inherent notion and he began to understand that dolphins were not happy to be clowns of human beings and these intelligent creatures should not be trained by humans.
In front of the camera of The Cove， O'Barry recalls oppressively： “She was very depressed， I could feel it. I could see it. And she committed suicide in my arms. It is a strong word， suicide. But you have to understand， dolphins and other whales are not automatic air breathers， like we are. Every breath they take is a conscious effort. So they can end their lives whenever life becomes too unbearable by not taking the next breath. She swam into my arms， looked at me right in the eyes， took a breath， but she didn’t take another one， and she sank straight down.” O'Barry was deeply touched and the next day he was arrested for trying to release the dolphins in the marine laboratory. “A dolphin's smile is nature's greatest deception. It creates the illusion that they're always happy.”He understands that the natural mouth curves of dolphins make people think they are happy but actually they are not. From then on， where there is the dolphin hunting field， where you can find the figure of O'Barry. He was arrested several times for cutting off the iron nets to release the dolphins. He sought for help from armies in Nicaragua to save two dolphins. He secretly got into American Ocean Research Institute to release dolphins. O'Barry is in advanced years， but he still fights for dolphins against the fishermen and policemen in Taiji. He exposed the truth of the cruel killing of dolphins in Japan to the whole world. This unyielding faith which has lasted for nearly forty years has made O'Barry look like a saint.
The Cove got 14 awards in 11 film festivals. The social significance it contains has far exceeded the value being of a film. However， O'Barry does not reduce his efforts despite the success of the film. Cathy’s death has deeply shocked O'Barry and he decided to terminate the dolphins training career which he spent ten years to build.
At the end of the film， O'Barry， carrying the bloody scenes which he carefully shot， stands in front of the well-dressed Japanese officials， at the core venue of International Whaling Commission （IWC） and at the streets of Tokyo and Shibuya， the prosperous but cold metropolitans. Probably shocked by the scenes in the film， the stream of people suddenly stopped their steps and gathered to watch the rapid changing and stacked urban scenes. What moved those people are O'Barry’s perseverance and dream. The heart of a firm idealist matters most when something needs to be done for ecology and the dignity of life.
From September to March every year， thousands of dolphins will gather around the water area of Taiji to enjoy the rich fish resources in this area. However， the local fishermen take this as a great opportunity to hunt the dolphins. They sail towards the dolphins in droves to kill the adorable creatures.
The reason why Taiji got the attention of the world and the killing of dolphins got exposed was that the public show of the documentary film The Cove produced by a dolphin trainer Richard O'Barry and his team. Ten years ago， Richard O'Barry accidentally found out the “secret” of Taiji and the long battle to fight against the killing of dolphins started.
The director of The Cove， Louie Psihoyos， was a photographer of National Geography and he was also a diver， fond of photographing underwater. Louie Psihoyos heard of the horrible news at a forum attended by marine mammal experts. Richard O'Barry was also there then. However， his speech was cancelled by the organizer called Sea World. Psihoyos was very curious why O'Barry had been deprived of the right to speak. So Psihoyos asked O'Barry for the reason and thus he got to know the cruel slaughter at the secret bay in Japan. Psihoyos was deeply shocked by this. His profession instinct prompted him to expose the cruel reality hidden behind those cliffs to the public. Psihoyos and O'Barry hit it off immediately and prepared to go to Taiji to find out the truth.
Under the sponsorship of the legendary billionaire in Silicon Valley Jim Clark， Psihoyos began to organize his “special troops” for shooting. Psihoyos’ friends participated in the shooting and offered to help. They were all experts in various fields. Among them， there was a Canadian female champion of diving and free diving coach who installed cameras and hydrophones underwater， an effect company which offered a fake stone model to put the cameras in and a former Canadian air force officer who built an unpiloted aircraft to assist the shooting. There were 47 of equipment including high-definition cameras without heat source and camouflage clothing only used in military. At night， the shooting team were equipped and dressed in camouflage clothing with their faces covered with painting. They did a secret work under the cover of night.
This shooting was more like a spy action with police’s shadowing and questioning， and the screaming and threatening of fishermen. The town took a totally uncooperative attitude. The mayor even directly told Psihoyos that if he got too close to those fishermen who hunted dolphins， he would not only get injured but also lose his life. The unconventional team， equipment and shooting environment were just like a nightmare for Psihoyos who took the responsibility of director for the first time. The pictures the photographing team got are completely shocking： after the slaughter began， the clear and blue water instantly became scarlet and the plaintive whine resounded throughout the sky. Gradually， what they hear was only the laughter of fishermen and what they saw were only the dead dolphins floating up and down， and the bloody waves flapping on the rocks.
Is “the festival of killing dolphins” a Japanese tradition？
Taiji faces the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by cliffs. There are 3，600 residents living in the town and among them about one third live on fishing. On the surface， the town is full of the atmosphere of love for cetaceans （Dolphins belong to cetacean）. In the center of the town， there is a smiling whale model and ferryboats painted in the forms of dolphins. The floor slabs are painted with the personified image of dolphins. Signs writing “We love dolphins” are on the roads and there is a temple especially built to worship whales’ spirits. However， cruel killing lies behind all these glories.
As early as in the 17th century， people in Taiji began to hunt and kill dolphins and whales and they even proudly called Taiji “the town of whales”. From Edo period， Taiji has been famous because it is the first place in Japan to adopt “ancient whaling method”. Today， the main income resources of local fishermen are still hunting dolphins and small whales. The fishermen in Taiji invented spear whaling methods. Taiji ， “the town of whales”， became the birthplace of traditional Japanese whaling methods. In modern society， whaling has become the important income source of local residents. In 1986， International Whaling Commission （IWC） issued a ban on commercial whaling but a year later， the action of “limited whaling” still existed in the name of “research” and the number of dolphins and small whales killed in Japan tripled.
In Japan， more than 40，000 dolphins are hunted or killed every year which are mainly used for food and as an important income source. The price of a good dolphin can reach 100，000 pounds. The ocean parks from all over the world will purchase the suitable dolphins for performance in Japan. Currently， there are nearly 80 aquariums in Japan， and cetaceans are raised in nearly 40 aquariums. The dolphins caught usually will die in two years while those dolphins which have not been chosen will be food for the residents. 5，000 tons of dolphin meat is on the Japanese market. Some schools even make dolphin meat their main food because they think that dolphin meat is rich in nutrition and the price is very reasonable. In early 2014， American Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy wrote an essay on social network saying： “The American government holds objections to fishing methods of rounding up dolphins， and is concerned with the inhumanity of capturing and killing dolphins. The Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun made a response to this on February 25， saying that the Japanese government had made public their attitudes towards Kennedy’s objection to hunting dolphins. The Japanese government argued in the statement of defense saying “Rounding up dolphins is one of our traditional fisheries and is implemented based on law.” The statement of defense also emphasizes： “Our government holds that cetaceans including dolphins are important aquatic resources and should be used sustainably based on science.” In addition， the Japanese government also said： “The Japanese government will strive to get the understanding of hunting dolphins from countries and societies.”
Richard O'Barry： The smiles of dolphins are the greatest deception
Richard O'Barry is the initiator and narrator of The Cove. In the 1960s， Richard O'Barry was the synonym of dolphin training and performance. The performance of dolphins O'Barry created fascinated the children of the 1960s. When asked upon what they wanted to do after growing up， they would answer unhesitatingly that they wanted to be “marine biologists”. In addition， this aroused the boom of establishing dolphin arias all over the world. However， since the 1970s， the only thing he wants to do and keeps doing is to release the dolphins. Once a performing dolphin committed suicide gloomily in his arm which gave him a great shock and made him begin to reflect. The suicide of the dolphin completely changed O'Barry’s inherent notion and he began to understand that dolphins were not happy to be clowns of human beings and these intelligent creatures should not be trained by humans.
In front of the camera of The Cove， O'Barry recalls oppressively： “She was very depressed， I could feel it. I could see it. And she committed suicide in my arms. It is a strong word， suicide. But you have to understand， dolphins and other whales are not automatic air breathers， like we are. Every breath they take is a conscious effort. So they can end their lives whenever life becomes too unbearable by not taking the next breath. She swam into my arms， looked at me right in the eyes， took a breath， but she didn’t take another one， and she sank straight down.” O'Barry was deeply touched and the next day he was arrested for trying to release the dolphins in the marine laboratory. “A dolphin's smile is nature's greatest deception. It creates the illusion that they're always happy.”He understands that the natural mouth curves of dolphins make people think they are happy but actually they are not. From then on， where there is the dolphin hunting field， where you can find the figure of O'Barry. He was arrested several times for cutting off the iron nets to release the dolphins. He sought for help from armies in Nicaragua to save two dolphins. He secretly got into American Ocean Research Institute to release dolphins. O'Barry is in advanced years， but he still fights for dolphins against the fishermen and policemen in Taiji. He exposed the truth of the cruel killing of dolphins in Japan to the whole world. This unyielding faith which has lasted for nearly forty years has made O'Barry look like a saint.
The Cove got 14 awards in 11 film festivals. The social significance it contains has far exceeded the value being of a film. However， O'Barry does not reduce his efforts despite the success of the film. Cathy’s death has deeply shocked O'Barry and he decided to terminate the dolphins training career which he spent ten years to build.
At the end of the film， O'Barry， carrying the bloody scenes which he carefully shot， stands in front of the well-dressed Japanese officials， at the core venue of International Whaling Commission （IWC） and at the streets of Tokyo and Shibuya， the prosperous but cold metropolitans. Probably shocked by the scenes in the film， the stream of people suddenly stopped their steps and gathered to watch the rapid changing and stacked urban scenes. What moved those people are O'Barry’s perseverance and dream. The heart of a firm idealist matters most when something needs to be done for ecology and the dignity of life.