Friends of the earth
Friends of the Earth, and Ocean Family,
By now most of you have heard what happened recently in Japan when our group of surfers and celebrities paddled out in the 'Killing Cove' to expose the brutal reality of dolphin slaughter in Japan.
In the blood red water we held a surfers 'memorial circle' for the Pilot Whales who were being killed. Our presence had slowed the kills down for a period of two weeks, and by being in the water the fishermen stopped their kills until we left and the media presence disappeared.
Since the moment we entered the Taiji Bay on the 29th of October millions of people throughout the world have learnt of the kills. Every major news outlet covered the event. CNN, BBC, Sky News, Fox News, Perez Hilton's celebrity blog site, Access Hollywood, E Entertainment, The Ellen Degeneres Talk Show, Triple J Radio, Kiwi Radio, ABC radio, and every major newspaper and celebrity gossip magazine has featured the story.
This is a great achievement, however the story is completely unknown in Japan. Besides the surfing community and their associates, very few people know of the killing cove showdown. The brutal killing continues, and the mercury poisoned meat is still being sold to school children and the general public.
We can all help to end the destruction of Japan's cetacean species and avert thousands of people from being poisoned by mercury. It is crucial that Japanese people know of the facts which their government and media refuse to publicise. Those of us who live outside of Japan know more about the problem than the people who live in the villages that carry out the kills.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Send Japanese and worldwide friends to the following websites so they can witness the nature of the kills, and also learn about mercury poisoning.
www.savejapandolphins.org
Our group, in line with the global surfing community, is preparing to launch another wave of public pressure so keep an eye out and an ear to the ground.
With sensitivity we realise the Japanese public know little of the kills and are not responsible for the destruction of cetacean species and the poisoning of innocent children. We are focussing on the fishing industry, and government that overlooks the welfare of Japanese people and cares not for the animals within the sea.
Our worldwide family of surfers and ocean lovers are coming together to ensure that our children are safe from mercury poisoning, our waters are respected and protected, and that the delicate balance of animals within the ocean is maintained
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Surfers For Cetaceans
EMAIL: dave@surfersforcetaceans.com
Justin@saltwater.com
Blood Monday
Dave Rastovich, Hayden Panettiere and Other Real-Life Heroes Make A Daring Pre-dawn Mission Back to Japanese Dolphin Killing Cove.
Oct. 29, 2007
TOKYO- Less than 24 hours after professional surfer Dave Rastovich led an international group of over 30 surfers, celebrities, and musicians on a peaceful paddle-out ceremony to honor the more than 25,000 dolphins killed each year in Japan, fishermen in the tiny village of Taiji resumed the slaughter that had been delayed by the increased worldwide media attention.
In response, the surfers decided in solidarity to make a pre-dawn return to the killing cove to recreate the ceremony, albeit with fewer people to evade detection. Rastovich and the others paddled within a stone’s throw of a pod of captive pilot whales and their calves that had been herded into the cove for early morning slaughter.
“The reason we surfers were there was to share the blood-stained waters at eye-level with our ocean kin awaiting their execution,” said a dripping, visibly shaken Rastovich just after paddling in. “Despite the fishermen taking great pains to hide their acts of cruelty, we seized an opportunity to bring this travesty to the world’s attention.”
Taiji-area fishermen, who kill dolphins and whales for their meat, netted off the bay and constructed green tarps to shield the slaughter from prying eyes and front-line cetacean activists bent on shutting down the dolphin trade forever. When the surfers learned of the imminent slaughter, they did not hesitate to return despite the distinct possibility of violent resistance and police arrest.
Rastovich and his core team of surfers trailed by camera crews arrived at the infamous Taiji cove to paddle out to the captured pilot whales. After entering the water they quickly arrived alongside the whales who swam back and forth along the edge of the seaward net.
The six paddlers, including Rastovich, his wife mermaid model Hannah Fraser, Heroes TV star Hayden Panettiere, Australian actress Isabel Lucas, author Peter Heller and professional surfer Karina Petroni, formed a traditional surfers’ memorial circle situated between the whales and the blood-ridden shallows.
Local fishermen converged almost immediately, harassing the paddlers with yelled threats and advancing on them with whirling propeller blades. The irate fishermen, who yelled “Why are you here? Go Home!” then used a long wooden pole to attack and intimidate the surfers.
“Even though the fishermen used force to try and break us up we held our peaceful stance. The feeling in the circle was of incredible strength” said mermaid model Hannah Fraser.
With tensions escalating and the police sirens growing, the surfers quickly paddled back to shore where a distraught Hayden Panettiere fell to her knees sobbing, overwhelmed by the carnage she and the group had just witnessed.
“I couldn’t believe how red the water was,” said Panettiere. “The whales were so scared. Hopefully their deaths won’t be in vain.”
After hightailing it out of Taiji, 30 policemen readied with a paddy wagon stopped the three-van convoy at the border of the Wakayama prefecture. After politely checking passports and questioning the group intently, the police waved the crew on their way.
Rastovich expressed extreme sorrow, saying “With many nets and kill boats waiting beyond the cove, the fishermen’s intense desire to kill left no room for escape.”
Reflecting on the day’s experience, a somber Isabel Lucas expressed that the worst part was that the whales are probably all dead by now. “We couldn’t save these whales but hopefully shining the light on their deaths will save others.”
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For photos and video:
media.seashepherd2.org
For more information:
Surfers For Cetaceans
www.surfersforcetaceans.com
Save the Whales Again
www.savethewhalesagain.com
Save Japan Dolphins
www.SaveJapanDolphins.org
Minds In the Water Visual Petition
www.mindsinthewater.com
- dolphintouch32's blog
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