The Cove: Sundance Film Exposes Japanese Dolphin Slaughter in Grisly Footage
23,000 Dolphins are slaughtered each year in a hidden cove in Taiji, Japan. The Japanese government covers it up. No one could get in.
Until now.
[UPDATE: Dolphin Slaughter in Taiji's 'Cove' Suspended]!
The Cove exposes an atrocity of unimaginable brutality. The dolphin slaughter depicted here is committed yearly and without knowledge of the general Japanese public, even though they could be buying highly-toxic mercury-laden dolphin meat disguised as fish from their local supermarkets.
- » See also: MSNBC to Air 2 Hour Special on Animal Conservation: “100 Heartbeats”
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Barred access to the site, the film crew (which includes most notably the man who trained Flipper, Richard O’Barry) was forced to utilize covert military tactics and equipment, including thermal heat sensors and the help of two world-class free divers, to accomplish their mission.
The Cove is activist film at it’s finest: exposing this dirty-little-secret despite systematic intimidation and institutional attempts to cover it up. The film is part of the documentary selection for this year’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
>> See Also: Japan Accuses Animal Planet of EcoTerrorism Prior to “Whale Wars” Premiere
To learn more and take action, visit the campaign website: savejapandolphins.com. The film won’t be available to the public until post-festival distribution, so keep your eye out for it later in the year.
Also read more at nymag.com.
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[Update 1/25/09]: The Cove has received the Audience Award for U.S. Documentary at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
Wow, absolutely heart wrenching indeed. Stupid Japanese!
RT
http://www.privacy-web.us.tc
I personally dont care what meat it is just as long as it taste good. how dare these people try to force their beliefs on the japanese people
Dolphins are almost certainly highly intelligent creatures, possibly even more intelligent than humans, but by different metrics.
It is a tragedy when a greater intelligence is killed by a lesser one, or when any intelligent being is needlessly killed where the death of a less-intelligent creature would have sufficed.
Dolphin たべました！！！
I hate to be that grammar guy, but if you want to be taken seriously, triple-check all your copy before submitting it to the public.
At 1:22, the text reads “that will effect us all” should read “that will AFFECT us all”
@nik
I hate to be a blogger, but a) I can’t find what you’re talking about and b) I’d rather get something out that wasn’t perfect rather than sitting on it like every other journalist that was at the screening.
I believe he is talking about a caption from the trailer. So not your fault in any way
@Joe:
If you can watch this film and say the same thing I feel sorry for your state of mind.
a) The Japanese public is unknowingly being fed this meat, in part due to government cover-up. This dolphin meat has been tested at 2000 ppm mercury while the “safe” limit that was established is less than 1 ppm. This makes it a public health issue for the Japanese public and they should know about it.
b) The dolphins don’t belong to the Japanese and they aren’t a resource to be exploited. It isn’t part of their “culture” either, since no other place in Japan hunts dolphins.
c) Japan exploits loopholes in IWC rules in order to hunt ceteceans in the first place, but they should be held to the same standards that the rest of the world is held to.
d) “I eat meat because it tastes good” as a justification for anything–but especially–exterminating a species, let alone one that has been proven to be self-aware, is beyond my comprehension as a human being.
Thanks for the comment.
Can’t wait to watch the movie. Seems to me it’s gonna become a blockbuster in Japan
@ALiK: I’d be surprised if they didn’t ban the film in Japan.